2000
#2,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.10
Uncommon Last name
Hussain
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "good," "handsome," or "beautiful," and referring to the grandson of Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,927 Americans carry the last name Hussain. That puts it at #1,843 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hussain 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hussain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,632
Census rank
#1,843
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,121 bearers of the surname Hussain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1843rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hussain, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hussain
The surname "HUSSAIN" is of Arabic origin and is believed to have emerged in the 7th century CE during the Islamic Golden Age. It is derived from the Arabic word "Husayn," which means "good" or "handsome." The name is closely associated with Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most revered figures in Islam.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "HUSSAIN" can be found in various historical texts and manuscripts from the Middle East. One notable example is the "Kitab al-Aghani" (Book of Songs), a 10th-century anthology of Arabic poetry and literature, which mentions individuals bearing the surname.
In the 11th century, the surname "HUSSAIN" gained prominence in regions that are now part of modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Syria. During this period, several notable figures with the surname emerged, including Abu al-Husayn Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Sufi (903-986 CE), a renowned Persian astronomer and mathematician.
As Islam spread across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe, the surname "HUSSAIN" became more widespread. In the 12th century, the name appeared in records from the Iberian Peninsula, where the Moors (Muslims from North Africa) had established a significant presence.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "HUSSAIN" was Husayn ibn Ali (626-680 CE), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a central figure in Shia Islam. He is revered for his martyrdom at the Battle of Karbala, which is commemorated annually during the Ashura mourning rituals.
Other notable figures with the surname "HUSSAIN" include:
1. Mir Husayn Isfahani (1554-1637 CE), a renowned Persian calligrapher and artist.
2. Badr al-Din al-Husayn (1292-1363 CE), a Persian mystic and Sufi master.
3. Husayn al-Kurdi (1617-1689 CE), a Kurdish scholar and poet.
4. Husayn ibn Ali al-Tusi (1018-1095 CE), a Persian philosopher and mathematician.
5. Husayn Bayqara (1438-1506 CE), the Sultan of the Timurid Empire in modern-day Afghanistan and Iran.
The surname "HUSSAIN" has also been associated with various place names, such as Husaynabad (meaning "town of Husayn") and Husayniyah, which can be found in several countries with significant Muslim populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hussain
Among Census respondents with the surname Hussain, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hussain 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 Hussain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.3% · 15,552
- White9.3% · 1,779
- Two or more races4.4% · 838
- Black or African American2.8% · 532
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 320
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 100
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hussain
Hussain appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,909
+5,839 bearers (+52.7%)
Per 100,000 5.73
Rank movement Up 850 places
2020
#1,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,121
+2,212 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 6.40
Rank movement Up 303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,996 | 11,070 | 4.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,146 | 16,909 | 5.73 | +5,839 bearers (+52.7%) | Up 850 places |
| 2020 | #1,843 | 19,121 | 6.40 | +2,212 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 303 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 Hussain 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 | #2,146 | #1,843 | 14.1% |
| Count | 16,909 | 19,121 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.73 | 6.40 | 11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hussain bearers went from 16,909 to 19,121 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 303 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,146 to #1,843.
FAQ
Hussain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hussain?
Name Census estimates that about 21,927 living Americans carry the surname Hussain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,632 residents.
How common is Hussain?
Hussain ranks #1,843 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,121 people with the surname Hussain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hussain.
Has Hussain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hussain went from 16,909 recorded bearers to 19,121. That is an increase of 2,212 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,146 to #1,843.
What does the Census say about the background of Hussain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hussain, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hussain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (15,552 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hussain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.3%), White (9.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hussain (2000, 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 Hussain mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "good," "handsome," or "beautiful," and referring to the grandson of Muhammad. 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 Hussain (6.40 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 are called Hussain?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Hussain is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.