2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ghawi
An Arabic surname possibly derived from a location name or tribe name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Ghawi. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ghawi surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Ghawi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghawi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ghawi
The surname Ghawi is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region that is now modern-day Jordan. It first appeared in written records dating back to the 7th century AD, during the early years of the Islamic era. The name is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "ghawi," which means "strong" or "powerful."
One of the earliest known references to the Ghawi name can be found in a collection of ancient Arabic manuscripts that document the lineages of prominent families from the region. These records suggest that the Ghawi clan played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the area during the medieval period.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Khalid ibn Ghawi was a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the city of Damascus. His works, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human experience, were widely celebrated and helped to establish the Ghawi name as one associated with intellectual and artistic pursuits.
During the 13th century, the Ghawi family was known to have settled in the town of Ajloun, located in northern Jordan. This town, which was once a prosperous trading center, is home to the impressive Ajloun Castle, a Crusader-era fortress that overlooks the surrounding countryside. It is possible that members of the Ghawi clan were involved in the construction or defense of this historic site.
In the 16th century, a man named Yusuf al-Ghawi gained prominence as a skilled calligrapher and manuscript illuminator. His beautifully adorned copies of the Quran and other religious texts were highly prized and can still be found in museum collections around the world.
Another individual of note was Fatima al-Ghawi, a 17th-century poet and scholar from the city of Aleppo. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, were widely acclaimed and helped to further establish the Ghawi name as one associated with literary and intellectual pursuits.
While the Ghawi surname is not as common today as it once was, it remains a proud part of the region's cultural and historical heritage, reflecting the contributions and achievements of those who bore this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ghawi
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghawi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ghawi bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ghawi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ghawi
Ghawi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ghawi surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ghawi bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Ghawi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ghawi?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Ghawi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Ghawi?
Ghawi ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Ghawi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ghawi.
Has Ghawi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ghawi went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Ghawi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghawi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ghawi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ghawi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ghawi (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ghawi mean?
An Arabic surname possibly derived from a location name or tribe name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ghawi (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Ghawi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.