2000
#5,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Uncommon Last name
Islam
A surname indicating the person's religious affiliation with the Islamic faith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,107 Americans carry the last name Islam. That puts it at #2,017 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,047 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Islam 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 Islam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,047
Census rank
#2,017
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,534 bearers of the surname Islam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2017th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Islam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and White (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Islam
The surname Islam has its origins in the Arabic language, and it is believed to have been derived from the word "al-Islam," which means "submission to God" or "peace." The name is closely associated with the religion of Islam, which was founded in the 7th century in the Arabian Peninsula.
The earliest known use of the surname Islam can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was commonly used by Arab and Persian Muslims. During this time, the Islamic world was experiencing a golden age of intellectual and cultural achievements, and many prominent scholars, poets, and philosophers bore the surname Islam.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Islam was Abu Nasr al-Islam, a renowned Persian scholar and poet who lived in the 10th century. He was known for his contributions to the fields of literature, philosophy, and theology.
Another notable figure was Ibn al-Islam, a 12th-century Arab philosopher and theologian from Andalusia (modern-day Spain). He is best known for his works on Islamic jurisprudence and his commentary on the Qur'an.
In the 13th century, the name Islam appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the writings of the famous Persian poet and mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi. One of Rumi's disciples, Shams al-Islam, was also known by this surname.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over vast territories in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe from the 14th to the 20th century, the surname Islam was widely used among Muslim communities. One prominent figure from this period was Piri Reis, a famous Ottoman admiral, cartographer, and geographer who lived in the 16th century.
In the Indian subcontinent, the surname Islam gained popularity among Muslim communities during the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the region from the 16th to the 19th century. One notable individual with this surname was Wazir Khan, a powerful Mughal governor and military commander who lived in the 17th century and is known for commissioning the construction of the iconic Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan.
Over the centuries, the surname Islam has spread to various parts of the world, carried by Muslim communities and individuals. It has become a common surname among Muslims in regions such as South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa, reflecting the global reach of the Islamic faith and cultural influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Islam
Among Census respondents with the surname Islam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and White (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Islam 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 Islam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.8% · 15,927
- Black or African American2.8% · 492
- White2.6% · 459
- Two or more races2.4% · 415
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Islam
Islam 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
#3,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,670
+4,703 bearers (+78.8%)
Per 100,000 3.62
Rank movement Up 2,015 places
2020
#2,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,534
+6,864 bearers (+64.3%)
Per 100,000 5.87
Rank movement Up 1,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,369 | 5,967 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,354 | 10,670 | 3.62 | +4,703 bearers (+78.8%) | Up 2,015 places |
| 2020 | #2,017 | 17,534 | 5.87 | +6,864 bearers (+64.3%) | Up 1,337 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 Islam 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 | #3,354 | #2,017 | 39.9% |
| Count | 10,670 | 17,534 | 64.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.62 | 5.87 | 62.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Islam bearers went from 10,670 to 17,534 (+64.3% change). The surname moved up 1,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,354 to #2,017.
FAQ
Islam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Islam?
Name Census estimates that about 20,107 living Americans carry the surname Islam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,047 residents.
How common is Islam?
Islam ranks #2,017 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.87 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 17,534 people with the surname Islam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,107), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.87 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 Islam.
Has Islam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Islam went from 10,670 recorded bearers to 17,534. That is an increase of 6,864 (+64.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,354 to #2,017.
What does the Census say about the background of Islam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Islam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and White (2.6%). 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 Islam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (15,927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Islam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.8%), Black (2.8%), White (2.6%). 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 Islam (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 Islam mean?
A surname indicating the person's religious affiliation with the Islamic faith. 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 Islam (5.87 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 many Americans have the surname Islam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.