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

Mir, 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 Mir surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mir in America

Mir is the 14279th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mir surname appeared 2,097 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mir.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mir 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 Mir

The surname Mir is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of modern-day Pakistan and northern India. Its roots can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "miri," which means "head" or "chief." This suggests that the name was initially used to denote someone who held a position of authority or leadership within a community or tribe.

During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the name Mir was commonly used as a title or honorific, particularly among Muslim nobility and administrators. It was often combined with other titles, such as Mir Bakshi (head of the military) or Mir Munshi (head of the scribes).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mir can be found in the Persian chronicle "Akbarnama," written by Abul Fazl in the late 16th century. The book mentions several individuals with the title Mir, including Mir Abdul Malik, a prominent courtier during the reign of Emperor Akbar.

In the 18th century, the name Mir gained prominence in the region of Kashmir, where it was associated with several influential families and rulers. One notable figure was Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (1314-1384), a renowned Sufi scholar and preacher who played a significant role in the spread of Islam in Kashmir.

Another historically significant individual with the surname Mir was Mir Jafar (1691-1765), a Bengali military commander who played a pivotal role in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. His actions led to the establishment of British rule in Bengal and marked the beginning of the East India Company's dominance in the region.

In more recent times, the name Mir has been carried by several notable individuals, including Mir Anis (1912-1988), a celebrated Urdu poet and playwright from Pakistan, and Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman (1925-2021), a prominent Pakistani jurist and former Chief Justice of the country.

It is worth noting that the name Mir has also been found in other parts of the world, such as Central Asia and the Middle East, where it may have been adopted through cultural or historical exchanges with the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mir

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

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

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

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