2000
#15,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,671
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Mizrahi
A Jewish surname indicating the family's origins in the Middle East or North Africa, especially Iraq.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,690 Americans carry the last name Mizrahi. That puts it at #12,584 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mizrahi 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
2.7K
1 in 127,418
Census rank
#12,584
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,346 bearers of the surname Mizrahi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12584th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizrahi, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mizrahi
The surname Mizrahi originated in the Middle East, specifically in the regions that are now modern-day Israel, Palestine, and surrounding areas. It is a Hebrew name that can be traced back to the 9th century CE.
Mizrahi is derived from the Hebrew word "Mizrach," which means "east" or "eastern." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals or families who hailed from the eastern regions of the Middle East or who had migrated from those areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mizrahi can be found in the Cairo Geniza, a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts discovered in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, Egypt. These documents, dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries, contain references to individuals bearing the Mizrahi surname.
In the 12th century, the renowned Jewish philosopher and scholar Moses Maimonides, also known as the Rambam, mentioned individuals with the surname Mizrahi in his writings. This indicates that the name was well-established and recognized during that time period.
Over the centuries, the Mizrahi surname has been associated with several notable figures in Jewish history and culture. One prominent example is Isaac Mizrahi (born 1961), an American fashion designer and author known for his influential designs and appearances on popular television shows like "Project Runway."
Another notable individual was Rabbi Shlomo Mizrahi (1455-1541), a Jewish scholar and kabbalist who lived in the Ottoman Empire and authored several influential works on Jewish mysticism and biblical exegesis.
In the 19th century, Haim Mizrahi (1822-1902) was a prominent Jewish educator and author from the city of Safed in present-day Israel. He wrote extensively on Jewish law and traditions and established several educational institutions in the region.
Yitzhak Mizrahi (1923-1995) was an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, who served as the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in the 1970s.
The Mizrahi surname has also been associated with various place names in the Middle East, such as the Mizrahi Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, which was historically inhabited by Jews from Eastern communities.
While the Mizrahi name has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in places with significant Jewish communities. The name continues to be prevalent among individuals of Jewish descent, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and historical origins of this ancient surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mizrahi
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizrahi, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mizrahi 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 Mizrahi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 1,969
- Hispanic or Latino12.9% · 302
- Two or more races2.1% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mizrahi
Mizrahi 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
#13,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,190
+519 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 2,164 places
2020
#12,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,346
+156 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 1,222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,970 | 1,671 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,806 | 2,190 | 0.74 | +519 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 2,164 places |
| 2020 | #12,584 | 2,346 | 0.78 | +156 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 1,222 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 Mizrahi 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 | #13,806 | #12,584 | 8.9% |
| Count | 2,190 | 2,346 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.78 | 6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mizrahi bearers went from 2,190 to 2,346 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 1,222 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,806 to #12,584.
FAQ
Mizrahi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mizrahi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,690 living Americans carry the surname Mizrahi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,418 residents.
How common is Mizrahi?
Mizrahi ranks #12,584 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,346 people with the surname Mizrahi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,690), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Mizrahi.
Has Mizrahi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mizrahi went from 2,190 recorded bearers to 2,346. That is an increase of 156 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,806 to #12,584.
What does the Census say about the background of Mizrahi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizrahi, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Mizrahi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (1,969 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mizrahi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Hispanic (12.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Mizrahi (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 Mizrahi mean?
A Jewish surname indicating the family's origins in the Middle East or North Africa, especially Iraq. 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 Mizrahi (0.78 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 share the surname Mizrahi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.