2000
#48,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Rare Last name
Imran
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "highest" or "exalted".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,981 Americans carry the last name Imran. That puts it at #11,567 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,980 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Imran 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 Imran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,980
Census rank
#11,567
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,600 bearers of the surname Imran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11567th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Imran, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Imran
The surname Imran is of Arabic origin, derived from the Arabic name Imran meaning "constant" or "prosperous." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in the regions that are now modern-day Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria, during the medieval period.
Imran is a name that has been mentioned in various historical texts and records, including the Quran, where it is the name of the father of the prophet Moses. Additionally, the name appears in ancient Arab genealogies and manuscripts, indicating its longstanding use in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Imran can be found in the works of renowned Arab historian and genealogist, Ibn Hazm, who lived in the 11th century CE. He documented several individuals with the name Imran in his extensive writings on Arab genealogy.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the surname Imran. One of the most famous was Imran Khan, the former cricketer and current Prime Minister of Pakistan, born in 1952. Another prominent individual was Imran Hussain, a 16th-century scholar and poet from the Indian subcontinent, known for his contributions to Urdu literature.
In the realm of arts and culture, Imran Qureshi, a contemporary Pakistani artist born in 1972, has gained international recognition for his intricate and thought-provoking installations. Imran Ismail, born in 1965, is a renowned Singaporean actor and comedian who has appeared in numerous television shows and films.
Another noteworthy figure was Imran Yusuf, a British stand-up comedian and writer born in 1980, who has performed at various prestigious venues and festivals around the world.
The surname Imran has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout the Middle East and South Asia, reflecting the geographical spread of individuals bearing this name. For example, the town of Imran in Jordan and the village of Imran Goth in Pakistan both derive their names from individuals with the surname Imran.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Imran
Among Census respondents with the surname Imran, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Imran 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 Imran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.3% · 2,296
- White6.6% · 171
- Two or more races2.4% · 62
- Black or African American1.5% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Imran
Imran 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
#20,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,295
+884 bearers (+215.1%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 27,802 places
2020
#11,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,600
+1,305 bearers (+100.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 8,924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,293 | 411 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,491 | 1,295 | 0.44 | +884 bearers (+215.1%) | Up 27,802 places |
| 2020 | #11,567 | 2,600 | 0.87 | +1,305 bearers (+100.8%) | Up 8,924 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 Imran 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 | #20,491 | #11,567 | 43.6% |
| Count | 1,295 | 2,600 | 100.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.87 | 97.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Imran bearers went from 1,295 to 2,600 (+100.8% change). The surname moved up 8,924 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,491 to #11,567.
FAQ
Imran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Imran?
Name Census estimates that about 2,981 living Americans carry the surname Imran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,980 residents.
How common is Imran?
Imran ranks #11,567 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,600 people with the surname Imran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,981), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Imran.
Has Imran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Imran went from 1,295 recorded bearers to 2,600. That is an increase of 1,305 (+100.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,491 to #11,567.
What does the Census say about the background of Imran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Imran, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Imran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Imran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.3%), White (6.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Imran (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 Imran mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "highest" or "exalted". 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 Imran (0.87 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 common is the surname Imran?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Imran on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.