2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jaffarian
An Armenian surname referring to someone from the district of Jaffar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Jaffarian. 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 Jaffarian 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 Jaffarian 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 Jaffarian, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jaffarian
The surname Jaffarian is believed to have its origins in Armenia, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Armenian word "jaffar," which means "one who seeks refuge." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals or families who fled their homes and sought safety elsewhere during times of conflict or persecution.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jaffarian can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Cilician Armenian kingdom, where a nobleman named Vahram Jaffarian is mentioned as a member of the royal court. This document provides valuable insights into the historical significance and prevalence of the name during that era.
In the 14th century, a village called Jaffaran existed in the province of Vaspurakan, located in present-day eastern Turkey. It is possible that the surname Jaffarian originated from this place name, with families adopting it as a means of identifying their ancestral roots.
During the Ottoman Empire, the Jaffarian family played a prominent role in the Armenian community. Harutyun Jaffarian (1770-1845), a renowned scholar and writer, contributed significantly to the preservation of Armenian literature and cultural heritage. His works have been widely studied and praised for their literary merits.
In the late 19th century, a notable figure named Hovhannes Jaffarian (1850-1923) emerged as a prominent Armenian educator and community leader in the city of Izmir (then known as Smyrna). He established several schools and advocated for Armenian rights during a turbulent period in Ottoman history.
Another influential individual with the surname Jaffarian was Vahan Jaffarian (1902-1986), an Armenian-American writer and journalist. He documented the experiences of Armenian refugees during the Armenian Genocide and played a vital role in preserving the collective memory of this tragic event.
Throughout the years, the Jaffarian surname has been carried by individuals across various regions, including Armenia, Turkey, the Middle East, and the Armenian diaspora communities around the world. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Armenian people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaffarian
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaffarian, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jaffarian 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 Jaffarian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jaffarian
Jaffarian 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-16 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,887 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 22,887 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Jaffarian 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jaffarian bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Jaffarian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jaffarian?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Jaffarian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Jaffarian?
Jaffarian 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 Jaffarian. 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 Jaffarian.
Has Jaffarian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jaffarian went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Jaffarian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaffarian, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Jaffarian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jaffarian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Jaffarian (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 Jaffarian mean?
An Armenian surname referring to someone from the district of Jaffar. 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 Jaffarian (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 Americans have the surname Jaffarian?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.