2000
#23,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,025
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Mahmud
An Arabic surname meaning "one who is praised" or "praiseworthy".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,893 Americans carry the last name Mahmud. That puts it at #11,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,477 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahmud 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 Mahmud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,477
Census rank
#11,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,523 bearers of the surname Mahmud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahmud, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 70.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Black (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahmud
The surname MAHMUD originated from the Arabic name Muhammad, which means "praiseworthy" or "blessed." It is believed to have first emerged in the Middle East during the 7th century AD, around the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
The name MAHMUD gained widespread popularity throughout the Islamic world, particularly in areas such as Persia (modern-day Iran), Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It was often used as a personal name or a title for rulers and noblemen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MAHMUD can be found in the Shahnameh, an epic Persian poem written by the poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. The poem mentions a ruler named Mahmud of Ghazni, who reigned from 998 to 1030 AD and was known for his military conquests and patronage of the arts.
In the 11th century, the name MAHMUD appeared in various manuscripts and historical records from the Seljuk Empire, which spanned parts of modern-day Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia. During this period, the name was often associated with prominent figures, such as Mahmud I, the Sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire from 1092 to 1094.
As the Islamic empires expanded, the name MAHMUD spread across the region, and variations of the spelling emerged, such as Mahmood, Mehmood, and Mehmut. These variations were influenced by local dialects and languages, including Persian, Turkish, and Urdu.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname MAHMUD include:
1. Mahmud Ghaznavi (971-1030), the Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire and a renowned patron of arts and literature.
2. Mahmud Shah I (1453-1511), the Sultan of Gujarat and a prominent ruler during the Muzaffarid dynasty.
3. Mahmud Bey (1769-1838), an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
4. Mahmud Shevket Pasha (1856-1913), an Ottoman military leader and statesman who played a significant role in the Young Turk Revolution.
5. Mahmud Sami al-Barudi (1839-1904), an Egyptian poet and playwright who contributed to the revival of Arabic literature during the Nahda period.
The surname MAHMUD has been associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout history, reflecting the widespread influence of Islamic culture and the migration patterns of people bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahmud
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahmud, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 70.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Black (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahmud 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 Mahmud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander70.3% · 1,774
- White13.4% · 339
- Black or African American9.9% · 250
- Two or more races3.7% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahmud
Mahmud 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
#17,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,649
+624 bearers (+60.9%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 6,045 places
2020
#11,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,523
+874 bearers (+53.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 5,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,221 | 1,025 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,176 | 1,649 | 0.56 | +624 bearers (+60.9%) | Up 6,045 places |
| 2020 | #11,865 | 2,523 | 0.84 | +874 bearers (+53.0%) | Up 5,311 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 Mahmud 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 | #17,176 | #11,865 | 30.9% |
| Count | 1,649 | 2,523 | 53.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.84 | 50.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahmud bearers went from 1,649 to 2,523 (+53.0% change). The surname moved up 5,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,176 to #11,865.
FAQ
Mahmud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahmud?
Name Census estimates that about 2,893 living Americans carry the surname Mahmud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,477 residents.
How common is Mahmud?
Mahmud ranks #11,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,523 people with the surname Mahmud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Mahmud.
Has Mahmud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahmud went from 1,649 recorded bearers to 2,523. That is an increase of 874 (+53.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,176 to #11,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahmud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahmud, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 70.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Black (9.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mahmud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (1,774 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahmud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (70.3%), White (13.4%), Black (9.9%). 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 Mahmud (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 Mahmud mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "one who is praised" or "praiseworthy". 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 Mahmud (0.84 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 surname Mahmud?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.