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

Kurdi, 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 Kurdi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kurdi in America

Kurdi is the 50564th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kurdi surname appeared 413 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 Kurdi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kurdi 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 Kurdi

The surname Kurdi has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of Kurdistan, which spans parts of modern-day Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. The name can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 7th or 8th century AD.

Kurdi is derived from the Arabic word "Kurd," which refers to the Kurdish ethnic group that has inhabited the mountainous regions of Kurdistan for centuries. The Kurds have a rich cultural heritage and a distinct language, known as Kurdish, which is closely related to Persian.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kurdi can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab historian and geographer, Al-Masudi, who lived in the 10th century AD. In his work, "The Meadows of Gold," Al-Masudi mentions the Kurds and their settlements in the region.

During the 11th century, the Kurdi name appeared in various manuscripts and records kept by the Seljuk Empire, which ruled over a vast territory that included parts of modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. These records often mentioned Kurdish chieftains and leaders who played significant roles in the political and military affairs of the region.

One of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname Kurdi was Saladin (1137-1193), the famous Kurdish military leader and Sultan of Egypt and Syria. Saladin was known for his military campaigns against the Crusaders and his successful recapture of Jerusalem in 1187.

Another notable figure with the Kurdi surname was Idris al-Kurdi (1456-1505), a Kurdish scholar and poet who lived during the Ottoman Empire. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of Kurdish literature and his influential works on Islamic philosophy and mysticism.

In the 18th century, a prominent Kurdish leader named Ahmad Pasha Kurdi (1722-1789) played a crucial role in the political affairs of the Ottoman Empire. He served as the governor of Baghdad and was known for his efforts to improve the region's infrastructure and administration.

During the 19th century, the Kurdi surname gained further recognition with the rise of the Kurdish nationalist movement. One prominent figure was Mir Mohammed Rawanduzi Kurdi (1809-1882), a Kurdish leader and poet who advocated for Kurdish autonomy and cultural rights.

The Kurdi surname also gained prominence in the 20th century, with individuals like Mustafa Barzani (1903-1979), a Kurdish nationalist leader and the founder of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Jalal Talabani (1933-2017), the former President of Iraq and a prominent Kurdish politician.

Overall, the surname Kurdi has a rich history that spans centuries and is deeply rooted in the cultural and political heritage of the Kurdish people. While the name has evolved over time, it continues to be a source of pride and identity for those who bear it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kurdi

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!