2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Missaghi
An Iranian surname indicating a geographic origin or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Missaghi. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Missaghi 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Missaghi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Missaghi, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Missaghi
The surname MISSAGHI is believed to have originated in Iran during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Persian word "missagh," which means "coppersmith" or "worker in copper." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MISSAGHI surname can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Isfahan, which mentions a coppersmith named Ali MISSAGHI. This provides evidence that the name was in use during the Seljuk Empire era in Persia.
Another historical reference to the name comes from the 16th century, when a poet named Mahmoud MISSAGHI was known to have lived and worked in the city of Shiraz during the Safavid dynasty. His works were included in several anthologies of Persian poetry from that period.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Hassan MISSAGHI served as a governor and military leader in the Persian province of Mazandaran. He played a role in suppressing a rebellion against the Qajar dynasty in the 1830s.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the MISSAGHI surname was also found in various regions of what is now modern-day Iran, including the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, and Mashhad. This suggests that the name had spread and become more widespread over time.
One notable individual from this period was Mohammad MISSAGHI, an influential cleric and scholar who lived from 1858 to 1921. He was known for his religious writings and teachings, as well as his support for the Constitutional Revolution in Iran.
While the MISSAGHI surname is most closely associated with Iran, it is possible that variations of the name may have also existed in other parts of the Middle East or Central Asia due to historical migrations and cultural exchanges.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Missaghi
Among Census respondents with the surname Missaghi, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Missaghi 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 Missaghi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 86
- Two or more races13.3% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Missaghi
Missaghi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,848 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 Missaghi 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 | #144,141 | #152,989 | -6.1% |
| Count | 115 | 105 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Missaghi bearers went from 115 to 105 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,989.
FAQ
Missaghi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Missaghi?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Missaghi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Missaghi?
Missaghi ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Missaghi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Missaghi.
Has Missaghi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Missaghi went from 115 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Missaghi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Missaghi, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Missaghi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Missaghi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Two or More Races (13.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Missaghi (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 Missaghi mean?
An Iranian surname indicating a geographic origin or place name. 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 Missaghi (0.04 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 are called Missaghi?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Missaghi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.