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

Kazi, 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 Kazi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kazi in America

Kazi is the 18751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kazi surname appeared 1,463 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kazi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kazi 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 Kazi

The surname KAZI has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Bengal, which is now divided between Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. The name can be traced back to the 16th century or earlier.

KAZI is derived from the Arabic word "qazi," which means a judge or a magistrate. It was a title bestowed upon Islamic legal scholars and judges who presided over religious and civil matters in the region. Over time, the title became a hereditary surname for the descendants of these judicial officials.

In the historical records of Bengal, the name KAZI appears frequently, particularly in documents related to land ownership and administration. Some of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the writings of Sufi saints and Islamic scholars from the region, who often mentioned KAZI families in their works.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KAZI is in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative manual written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The book mentions several KAZI families who held influential positions in the judicial system of the Mughal Empire.

In the 17th century, the KAZI surname was also prominent in the court records of the Nawabs of Bengal, who were the regional rulers under the Mughal Empire. Notable individuals with the KAZI surname from this period include Qazi Nur Muhammad (1618-1679), a renowned Islamic scholar and judge who served as the Chief Qazi of Bengal during the reign of Aurangzeb.

Another notable KAZI figure was Qazi Abdul Karim (1633-1711), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who wrote several treatises on Islamic law and was appointed as the Chief Qazi of Bengal by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

In the 18th century, the KAZI surname was associated with the Muslim gentry and landed aristocracy of Bengal. One prominent example is Qazi Fazl-e-Karim (1724-1794), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who established several educational institutions and mosques in the region.

During the British colonial period in India, the KAZI surname continued to be associated with the Muslim landed elite and judicial officials. One notable figure was Sir Abdur Rahman Kazi (1855-1927), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the first Indian Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.

Throughout its history, the KAZI surname has been closely linked to the Islamic legal and judicial traditions of Bengal, reflecting the significant role played by these families in shaping the region's socio-cultural and legal landscape over several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kazi

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

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

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

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