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

Kassam, 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 Kassam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kassam in America

Kassam is the 48060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kassam surname appeared 440 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kassam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kassam 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 Kassam

The surname Kassam is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Iran or surrounding areas. The name is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "qassam," meaning a person who divides or distributes something, often referring to an archer or one who shoots arrows.

During the 7th and 8th centuries, as the Islamic Empire expanded, many Arabic names and words spread across the region, including the name Kassam. It is likely that the name was initially adopted by individuals who worked as archers or had a connection to archery or the distribution of goods.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kassam can be found in the 11th-century Persian manuscript "The Book of Kings" (Shahnameh), where a character named Kassam is mentioned as a skilled archer in the service of a ruler. However, it is unclear if this was a fictional character or a reference to a real person.

The name Kassam also appears in various historical records and documents from the Middle Ages, particularly in regions under the influence of the Persian and Ottoman Empires. For example, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Kassam in tax records and property deeds from the 14th and 15th centuries in present-day Turkey and Iran.

One notable figure with the surname Kassam was Izz al-Din al-Kassam, a Syrian Muslim scholar and revolutionary who lived from 1882 to 1935. He is known for leading an armed revolt against British and French Mandate authorities in Palestine and is considered a national hero by many Palestinians.

Another prominent individual with the Kassam surname was Nizar Kassam, an Indian-born Kenyan lawyer and politician who lived from 1934 to 2017. He served as the Attorney General of Kenya and was a prominent figure in the country's legal and political spheres.

In more recent times, the surname Kassam has been found among individuals of various ethnic backgrounds, including those of Arab, Persian, and South Asian descent, reflecting the historical spread and adoption of the name across different regions.

While the exact origins and early history of the Kassam surname may be shrouded in some uncertainty, it remains a name with deep roots in the Middle East and a rich cultural heritage, often associated with archery, distribution, and the historical experiences of individuals and communities across the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kassam

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

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 Kassam 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 Kassam 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 Kassam was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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