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

Khalaf, 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 Khalaf surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Khalaf in America

Khalaf is the 20047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Khalaf surname appeared 1,334 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 Khalaf.

We can also compare 2010 data for Khalaf 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 Khalaf

The surname Khalaf is of Arabic origin and is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the regions that are now part of modern-day Iraq and Syria. The name is derived from the Arabic word "khalaf," which means "successor" or "one who comes after."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Khalaf can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and records, where it was used to refer to individuals who held positions of authority or succeeded others in leadership roles. These records date back to the 7th and 8th centuries CE, during the early years of the Islamic caliphates.

In the 11th century, the name Khalaf appeared in the works of renowned Persian scholars and poets, such as Ferdowsi's epic poem "Shahnameh." One notable figure from this time period was Abu'l-Qasim Khalaf ibn Abbas Al-Zahrawi (936-1013 CE), a renowned Arabic physician and surgeon known as the "Father of Modern Surgery."

As the Islamic empires expanded and trade routes opened up, the surname Khalaf began to spread across the Middle East and North Africa. In the 13th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Khalaf residing in cities such as Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad.

During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over much of the Middle East and parts of North Africa from the 14th to the early 20th century, the surname Khalaf was prevalent among both civilian and military populations. One notable figure from this period was Mustafa Khalaf Pasha (1826-1887), an Ottoman military officer and statesman who served as the Governor of Damascus.

In the 19th century, as migration and travel became more common, individuals with the surname Khalaf began to settle in other parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. Among the notable figures from this time period was Khalaf Al-Numan (1840-1911), a prominent Arab nationalist and writer who played a significant role in the cultural and literary renaissance of the Arab world.

Other prominent individuals with the surname Khalaf throughout history include Saad Khalaf (1922-2007), an Iraqi politician and co-founder of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party; Faisal Khalaf (born 1966), a Saudi Arabian businessman and philanthropist; and Nizar Khalaf (born 1957), a Syrian-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Khalaf

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

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

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

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