2000
#11,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,581
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Karam
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "generosity," "nobility," or "virtue."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,723 Americans carry the last name Karam. That puts it at #9,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karam 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 Karam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,064
Census rank
#9,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,247 bearers of the surname Karam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karam, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karam
The surname KARAM has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. The name is believed to have emerged around the 7th century AD, during the rise of Islam and the subsequent spread of Arab culture and language across the region.
KARAM is derived from the Arabic word "karam," which means "generosity," "nobility," or "honor." It was likely initially used as a descriptive name, referring to someone who exhibited these qualities or as a way to express the aspirations parents had for their child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KARAM can be found in the historical chronicles of the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled a significant portion of the Middle East and North Africa from the 8th to the 13th century. The name appears in various administrative records and legal documents from that period.
During the Middle Ages, the KARAM surname was particularly prevalent in regions such as modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. It was also found in parts of Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula. Over time, as trade and migration patterns evolved, the name spread to other parts of the Middle East and beyond.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname KARAM include:
1. Amin al-Karam (1846-1913), a Syrian poet and literary critic who played a significant role in the Nahda, the Arab literary renaissance of the 19th century.
2. Rashid al-Karam (1887-1963), a Lebanese politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1943 to 1944.
3. Mustafa al-Karam (1901-1986), a Palestinian writer and scholar known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his advocacy for Palestinian rights.
4. Zuhair al-Karam (1923-2001), a Syrian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria from 1970 to 1971.
5. Layla al-Karam (born 1952), a prominent Syrian actress and television personality, renowned for her roles in various Arabic television series and films.
The KARAM surname has also been associated with various place names, particularly in the Levant region. For example, there are villages and towns with names like Karam al-Bayd and Karam al-Janoub in Lebanon, as well as Karam Alali and Karam Lozeh in Syria.
While the surname KARAM has its roots in the Arabic-speaking world, it has since spread to other parts of the globe due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical origins can be traced back to the Middle East, where it has been a prominent name for centuries, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karam
Among Census respondents with the surname Karam, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Karam 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 Karam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,775
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 249
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 101
- Two or more races2.7% · 89
- Black or African American1.0% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karam
Karam 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
#9,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,401
+820 bearers (+31.8%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 1,688 places
2020
#9,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,247
-154 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,248 | 2,581 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,560 | 3,401 | 1.15 | +820 bearers (+31.8%) | Up 1,688 places |
| 2020 | #9,574 | 3,247 | 1.09 | -154 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 14 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 Karam 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 | #9,560 | #9,574 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,401 | 3,247 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.09 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karam bearers went from 3,401 to 3,247 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,560 to #9,574.
FAQ
Karam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karam?
Name Census estimates that about 3,723 living Americans carry the surname Karam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,064 residents.
How common is Karam?
Karam ranks #9,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,247 people with the surname Karam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Karam.
Has Karam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karam went from 3,401 recorded bearers to 3,247. That is a decrease of 154 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,560 to #9,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Karam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karam, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Karam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,775 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Hispanic (7.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Karam (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 Karam mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "generosity," "nobility," or "virtue." 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 Karam (1.09 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 Karam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.