2000
#82,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Kabbani
A surname derived from the Arabic word "kabban" meaning an innkeeper or tavern-keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 406 Americans carry the last name Kabbani. That puts it at #61,280 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 844,223 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kabbani 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
406
1 in 844,223
Census rank
#61,280
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
354
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 354 bearers of the surname Kabbani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61280th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kabbani, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kabbani
The surname Kabbani originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the Middle East. It is believed to have originated in Lebanon, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century.
The name Kabbani is derived from the Arabic word "Kabban," which means a person who sells or deals in dried fruits and nuts. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely merchants or traders involved in the dried fruit and nut trade.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Kabbani surname can be found in the Ottoman tax registers, known as the "Defter-i Mufassal," which were compiled in the late 16th century. These registers documented the names of taxpayers in various regions of the Ottoman Empire, including modern-day Lebanon.
In the 17th century, the Kabbani family was prominent in the city of Tripoli, Lebanon, where they were involved in trade and commerce. One notable figure from this period was Mustafa Kabbani, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Tripoli during the 1600s.
As the Kabbani family prospered, they began to establish themselves in other parts of the Levant region, including Syria and Palestine. In the 18th century, the Kabbani surname can be found in historical records from the city of Damascus, where members of the family held influential positions in the local government and trade guilds.
One of the most famous individuals with the Kabbani surname was Nizar Qabbani (1923-1998), a renowned Syrian poet and diplomat. He was born in Damascus and gained international recognition for his romantic and political poetry, which often explored themes of love, desire, and Arab nationalism.
Another notable figure was Shaykh Muhammad Rashid Kabbani (1942-2022), a prominent Islamic scholar and Sufi spiritual leader. He was born in Lebanon and later immigrated to the United States, where he founded the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order and authored numerous books on Sufism and Islamic spirituality.
In the 19th century, the Kabbani surname can be found in records from various parts of the Ottoman Empire, including present-day Turkey and Egypt. One significant individual from this period was Mahmoud Kabbani (1850-1923), an Egyptian scholar and writer who played a crucial role in the Egyptian Renaissance movement.
As migration patterns shifted in the 20th century, the Kabbani surname spread to other parts of the world, including Europe, North America, and Australia. Today, individuals with the Kabbani surname can be found in various countries, reflecting the global diaspora of people with roots in the Middle East.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kabbani
Among Census respondents with the surname Kabbani, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kabbani 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 Kabbani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 321
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 13
- Two or more races3.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kabbani
Kabbani 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
#72,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
+55 bearers (+25.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 9,687 places
2020
#61,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 354
+85 bearers (+31.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 11,052 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,019 | 214 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72,332 | 269 | 0.09 | +55 bearers (+25.7%) | Up 9,687 places |
| 2020 | #61,280 | 354 | 0.12 | +85 bearers (+31.6%) | Up 11,052 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 Kabbani 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 | #72,332 | #61,280 | 15.3% |
| Count | 269 | 354 | 31.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.12 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kabbani bearers went from 269 to 354 (+31.6% change). The surname moved up 11,052 positions in the national ranking, going from #72,332 to #61,280.
FAQ
Kabbani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kabbani?
Name Census estimates that about 406 living Americans carry the surname Kabbani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 844,223 residents.
How common is Kabbani?
Kabbani ranks #61,280 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 354 people with the surname Kabbani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (406), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Kabbani.
Has Kabbani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kabbani went from 269 recorded bearers to 354. That is an increase of 85 (+31.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #72,332 to #61,280.
What does the Census say about the background of Kabbani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kabbani, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kabbani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (321 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kabbani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Kabbani (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 Kabbani mean?
A surname derived from the Arabic word "kabban" meaning an innkeeper or tavern-keeper. 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 Kabbani (0.12 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 share the surname Kabbani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.