Find out how popular the last name Hossain is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hossain.

Hossain, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hossain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hossain in America

Hossain is the 5788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hossain surname appeared 5,978 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hossain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hossain to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hossain

The surname HOSSAIN has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arab world. It is derived from the Arabic word "Hussain," which means "good" or "handsome." The name traces its roots back to the 7th century AD, during the early years of Islamic civilization.

The name HOSSAIN gained prominence due to its association with Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam. Husayn ibn Ali, who lived from 626 to 680 AD, played a crucial role in the early Islamic struggles and is remembered for his martyrdom at the Battle of Karbala.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname HOSSAIN can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and chronicles, where it was often used to refer to the descendants or followers of Husayn ibn Ali. Over time, the name spread across the Muslim world, particularly in regions with significant Shia populations, such as Iran, Iraq, and parts of South Asia.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname HOSSAIN was Hossain ibn Ali al-Husayni (1054-1112), a renowned Islamic scholar and poet from Persia (modern-day Iran). Another notable figure was Hossain Al-Marzouqi (1325-1399), a prominent Arab historian and writer from Yemen.

In the Indian subcontinent, the surname HOSSAIN gained prominence during the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the region from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Several prominent figures from this period bore the surname, including Hossain Shah (1539-1599), the last Sultan of Bengal, and Mirza Hossain Ali Khan Bahadur (1837-1907), a prominent landowner and philanthropist from Bengal.

Other notable individuals with the surname HOSSAIN include Fazlur Rahman Hossain (1908-1982), a renowned Bangladeshi writer and intellectual, and Anwar Hossain (1931-2022), a pioneering Bangladeshi film director and screenwriter.

Throughout its history, the surname HOSSAIN has been associated with a rich cultural heritage and has been borne by scholars, poets, rulers, and influential figures across various fields, reflecting its deep-rooted significance in the Muslim world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hossain

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hossain.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hossain was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hossain has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hossain was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hossain, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!