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

Khani, 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 Khani surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Khani in America

Khani is the 68770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Khani surname appeared 286 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 Khani.

We can also compare 2010 data for Khani 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 Khani

The surname KHANI originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of modern-day Pakistan and northern India. Its roots can be traced back to the 16th century during the Mughal Empire period. The name is believed to have derived from the Persian word "Khan," which was a title of nobility and respect given to influential individuals, particularly those of Turkic or Mongol descent.

KHANI is closely associated with the Pashtun ethnic group, who have a long and rich history in the region. The name is often found among members of the Pashtun tribes, such as the Yusufzai and Khani tribes, which were prominent in the areas of present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and the neighboring regions of Afghanistan.

One of the earliest recorded references to the KHANI surname can be found in the Akbar-Nama, a historical biography of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, written in the late 16th century. The text mentions several individuals with the surname KHANI, including Khan Khanan Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan (1556-1627), a notable military commander and poet who served under Akbar and his son Jahangir.

Another prominent figure with the KHANI surname was Khushal Khan Khattak (1613-1689), a renowned Pashtun warrior-poet and chief of the Khattak tribe. His poetry, which was primarily written in Pashto, remains an important part of the region's cultural heritage and has been widely studied and celebrated.

In the 18th century, Dost Mohammad Khan (1793-1863), the founder of the Barakzai dynasty and the first Emir of the Emirate of Afghanistan, carried the KHANI surname. He played a crucial role in the consolidation of power in Afghanistan and the establishment of a unified state.

The KHANI surname has also been associated with notable scholars and intellectuals, such as Maulana Mohammad Qasim Nanautavi (1833-1877), a renowned Islamic scholar and the founder of the influential Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in India.

Throughout history, the KHANI surname has been linked to various place names and geographical locations within the Indian subcontinent. For instance, the town of Khani in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, is believed to have derived its name from the KHANI tribe that inhabited the area. Similarly, the Khani Valley in Afghanistan is named after the Khani tribe that populated the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Khani

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

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

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

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