2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kamkar
A Persian surname meaning "archer" or "bowmaker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kamkar. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kamkar 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kamkar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamkar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kamkar
The surname KAMKAR is of Persian origin and is believed to have originated in Iran during the 16th century. The name is derived from the Persian word "kam," which means "less" or "little," and "kar," which means "work" or "action." The combination of these two words suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who performed light or easy work, or perhaps someone who was known for their efficiency and diligence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KAMKAR surname can be found in a Persian manuscript dating back to the late 16th century, which mentions a merchant named Ali Kamkar who was engaged in trade between Iran and India. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period and may have been associated with a particular occupation or profession.
In the 17th century, the KAMKAR name appears in several historical records from the city of Isfahan, which was a major cultural and commercial center in Iran during that era. There are references to a family of artisans and craftsmen with the surname KAMKAR who were renowned for their intricate metalwork and calligraphy.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the KAMKAR name became more widespread throughout Iran and the surrounding regions. Notable individuals from this period include Mirza Reza Kamkar (1789-1857), a prominent Persian poet and scholar who served as a court historian during the Qajar dynasty, and Hossein Kamkar (1822-1902), a renowned architect responsible for designing several iconic mosques and palaces in Tehran and other Iranian cities.
In the early 20th century, the KAMKAR name began to spread beyond the borders of Iran as a result of immigration and diaspora. One notable figure from this period was Yousef Kamkar (1898-1977), an Iranian-American businessman who founded one of the first Persian rug companies in the United States and played a significant role in introducing Persian culture and art to the American public.
Other notable individuals with the KAMKAR surname include Parvin Kamkar (1920-2001), an Iranian women's rights activist and author who fought for gender equality and educational reform in her country, and Amir Kamkar (born 1985), a renowned computer security researcher and hacker who has gained international recognition for his work in exposing vulnerabilities in various technological systems.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamkar
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamkar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kamkar 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 Kamkar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kamkar
Kamkar 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
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,382 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 3,382 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,413 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 Kamkar 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 | #142,788 | 2.3% |
| Count | 113 | 119 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kamkar bearers went from 113 to 119 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kamkar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kamkar?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kamkar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kamkar?
Kamkar ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kamkar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kamkar.
Has Kamkar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kamkar went from 113 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kamkar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamkar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Kamkar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kamkar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Kamkar (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 Kamkar mean?
A Persian surname meaning "archer" or "bowmaker." 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 Kamkar (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 people have the last name Kamkar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Kamkar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.