2000
#7,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Karim
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "generous, noble, or hospitable."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,759 Americans carry the last name Karim. That puts it at #5,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karim 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 Karim with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,175
Census rank
#5,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,766 bearers of the surname Karim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Black (12.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karim
Among Census respondents with the surname Karim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Black (12.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Karim 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 Karim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.6% · 3,962
- White19.8% · 1,337
- Black or African American12.0% · 813
- Two or more races6.0% · 404
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karim
Karim 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
#6,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,729
+1,876 bearers (+48.7%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 1,965 places
2020
#5,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,766
+1,037 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Up 977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,966 | 3,853 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,001 | 5,729 | 1.94 | +1,876 bearers (+48.7%) | Up 1,965 places |
| 2020 | #5,024 | 6,766 | 2.26 | +1,037 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 977 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 Karim 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 | #6,001 | #5,024 | 16.3% |
| Count | 5,729 | 6,766 | 18.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 2.26 | 16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karim bearers went from 5,729 to 6,766 (+18.1% change). The surname moved up 977 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,001 to #5,024.
FAQ
Karim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karim?
Name Census estimates that about 7,759 living Americans carry the surname Karim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,175 residents.
How common is Karim?
Karim ranks #5,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,766 people with the surname Karim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Karim.
Has Karim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karim went from 5,729 recorded bearers to 6,766. That is an increase of 1,037 (+18.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,001 to #5,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Karim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Black (12.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Karim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.6% (3,962 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.6%), White (19.8%), Black (12.0%). 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 Karim (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 Karim mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "generous, noble, or hospitable." 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 Karim (2.26 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 Karim?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.