Find out how popular the last name Karim is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Karim.

Karim, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Karim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karim in America

Karim is the 6001st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karim surname appeared 5,729 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Karim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Karim to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Karim

The surname Karim has its roots in the Arabic language, originating from the Middle East region. The name is derived from the Arabic word 'Kareem,' which means generous, noble, or honorable. It is believed to have originated in the 7th century during the Islamic golden age.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Karim can be traced back to the 8th century, when it appeared in various Arabic manuscripts and historical records. During this period, the name was predominantly found in regions that were under Islamic rule, such as parts of modern-day Iran, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Karim was Abu Yusuf Ya'qub bin Ishaq al-Kindi, also known as Al-Kindi (801-873 CE). He was an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of optics, music theory, and astronomy.

In the 12th century, the name Karim appeared in the famous Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi. The poem mentions a character named Karim, who was a wise and respected figure in the court of the Sassanid Empire.

During the Mughal Empire in India, which ruled from the 16th to the 19th century, the surname Karim was widely used among the Muslim population. One notable individual from this period was Mirza Aziz Koka (1563-1624), a Persian-Indian poet and nobleman who served as a minister under the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

The name Karim also has a connection to various place names throughout the Middle East and South Asia. For example, the city of Karim Abad in Iran and the town of Karim Nagar in India are believed to have derived their names from individuals with the surname Karim.

Other notable figures with the surname Karim include:

1. Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), an Egyptian writer and Nobel Prize laureate in literature.
2. Mian Muhammad Shafi (1892-1964), a prominent Indian politician and statesman from the Punjab region.
3. Fazlur Rahman Khan (1929-1982), a Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect, known for his innovative designs of skyscrapers.
4. Amin Al-Kharrami (1918-1980), an Iraqi artist and calligrapher, renowned for his contributions to Arabic calligraphy.
5. Leila Khaled (born 1944), a Palestinian revolutionary and activist, known for her involvement in the hijackings of several commercial aircraft in the late 1960s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karim

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Karim.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Karim was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Karim has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Karim was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Karim, please contact us.

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