2000
#25,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Khalaf
A surname suggesting descent from a successor, heir, or one who replaced another.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,363 Americans carry the last name Khalaf. That puts it at #14,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Khalaf 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 Khalaf with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,051
Census rank
#14,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,061 bearers of the surname Khalaf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Khalaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Khalaf
Among Census respondents with the surname Khalaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Khalaf 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 Khalaf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 1,829
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 90
- Two or more races4.3% · 89
- Black or African American1.7% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Khalaf
Khalaf 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
#20,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,334
+412 bearers (+44.7%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 5,174 places
2020
#14,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
+727 bearers (+54.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 6,040 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,221 | 922 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,047 | 1,334 | 0.45 | +412 bearers (+44.7%) | Up 5,174 places |
| 2020 | #14,007 | 2,061 | 0.69 | +727 bearers (+54.5%) | Up 6,040 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 Khalaf 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 | #20,047 | #14,007 | 30.1% |
| Count | 1,334 | 2,061 | 54.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.69 | 53.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Khalaf bearers went from 1,334 to 2,061 (+54.5% change). The surname moved up 6,040 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,047 to #14,007.
FAQ
Khalaf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Khalaf?
Name Census estimates that about 2,363 living Americans carry the surname Khalaf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,051 residents.
How common is Khalaf?
Khalaf ranks #14,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,061 people with the surname Khalaf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Khalaf.
Has Khalaf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Khalaf went from 1,334 recorded bearers to 2,061. That is an increase of 727 (+54.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,047 to #14,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Khalaf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Khalaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Khalaf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (1,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Khalaf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Khalaf (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 Khalaf mean?
A surname suggesting descent from a successor, heir, or one who replaced another. 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 Khalaf (0.69 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 last name Khalaf?
You can see how many people are called Khalaf on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.