2000
#53,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Kassam
A surname of Arabic origin, possibly derived from "qassamah" meaning portion or allotment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 607 Americans carry the last name Kassam. That puts it at #43,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 564,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kassam 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 Kassam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
607
1 in 564,669
Census rank
#43,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
529
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 529 bearers of the surname Kassam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kassam
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kassam 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 Kassam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander68.2% · 361
- White15.3% · 81
- Two or more races6.6% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 26
- Black or African American3.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kassam
Kassam 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
#48,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 440
+78 bearers (+21.5%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 5,496 places
2020
#43,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 529
+89 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 4,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,556 | 362 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,060 | 440 | 0.15 | +78 bearers (+21.5%) | Up 5,496 places |
| 2020 | #43,886 | 529 | 0.18 | +89 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 4,174 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 Kassam 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 | #48,060 | #43,886 | 8.7% |
| Count | 440 | 529 | 20.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.18 | 18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kassam bearers went from 440 to 529 (+20.2% change). The surname moved up 4,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,060 to #43,886.
FAQ
Kassam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kassam?
Name Census estimates that about 607 living Americans carry the surname Kassam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 564,669 residents.
How common is Kassam?
Kassam ranks #43,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 529 people with the surname Kassam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Kassam.
Has Kassam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kassam went from 440 recorded bearers to 529. That is an increase of 89 (+20.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,060 to #43,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Kassam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.3%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Kassam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kassam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (68.2%), White (15.3%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Kassam (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 Kassam mean?
A surname of Arabic origin, possibly derived from "qassamah" meaning portion or allotment. 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 Kassam (0.18 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 surname Kassam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.