2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mkhitarian
An Armenian surname meaning "someone from Mkhitar".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Mkhitarian. 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 Mkhitarian 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 Mkhitarian 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 Mkhitarian, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mkhitarian
The surname Mkhitarian originates from Armenia, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Armenian word "mkhitar," which means "comforter" or "consoler." The name likely emerged as a descriptive surname or a reference to an ancestor's occupation or personality trait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mkhitarian can be found in the chronicles of the Mkhitarian Monastery, a prominent Armenian monastic institution founded in the 12th century. The monastery played a significant role in preserving Armenian culture and literature during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the Mkhitarian surname was Mkhitar Gosh, an Armenian cleric and scholar who made substantial contributions to the development of Armenian literature and philosophy. He is renowned for his poetic works and theological writings, which have been preserved and studied by scholars over the centuries.
During the 16th century, the Mkhitarian surname gained prominence with the establishment of the Mkhitarian Congregation, a Catholic Armenian religious order founded by Abbot Mkhitar of Sebastia (1676-1749). The order played a vital role in promoting Armenian education and culture, establishing schools and printing presses across Europe and the Middle East.
In the 19th century, Khachatur Mkhitarian (1806-1875) was a notable Armenian writer, educator, and cultural figure. He founded several schools and played a crucial role in the development of modern Armenian literature and education.
Another prominent figure with the Mkhitarian surname was Garegin Mkhitarian (1866-1938), an Armenian politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of the First Republic of Armenia from 1918 to 1920. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of the independent Armenian state after the collapse of the Russian Empire.
While the Mkhitarian surname has its roots in Armenia, it has since spread to other regions with Armenian diaspora communities, such as Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. However, the name's origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in Armenian culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mkhitarian
Among Census respondents with the surname Mkhitarian, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mkhitarian 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 Mkhitarian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 99
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mkhitarian
Mkhitarian 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
-16 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 14,685 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 Mkhitarian 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 | #138,304 | #152,989 | -10.6% |
| Count | 121 | 105 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mkhitarian bearers went from 121 to 105 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 14,685 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #152,989.
FAQ
Mkhitarian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mkhitarian?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Mkhitarian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Mkhitarian?
Mkhitarian 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 Mkhitarian. 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 Mkhitarian.
Has Mkhitarian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mkhitarian went from 121 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Mkhitarian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mkhitarian, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Mkhitarian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mkhitarian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Mkhitarian (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 Mkhitarian mean?
An Armenian surname meaning "someone from Mkhitar". 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 Mkhitarian (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 Americans have the surname Mkhitarian?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.