2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Movahed
A Persian surname meaning "monotheist" or "believer in one God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Movahed. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Movahed 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Movahed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Movahed, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Movahed
The surname "MOVAHED" is an Arabic/Persian name that originated in the Middle East, specifically in what is now modern-day Iran. The name can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the Islamic Golden Age, and is derived from the Arabic word "muwahhid," which means "one who professes the unity of God."
The earliest known references to the name "MOVAHED" can be found in historical manuscripts and records from the Abbasid Caliphate, an Islamic empire that ruled over vast territories from its capital in Baghdad. During this period, many scholars, philosophers, and religious figures bearing the name "MOVAHED" contributed significantly to various fields of knowledge, including theology, literature, and science.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname "MOVAHED" was Abu Bakr Mohammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, also known as Rhazes (854-925 AD), a Persian polymath and physician who made significant contributions to the fields of medicine, chemistry, and philosophy. His works, such as "Al-Hawi" (The Comprehensive Book), were widely studied and translated into various languages.
Another prominent figure with the surname "MOVAHED" was Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD), a Persian philosopher, theologian, and mystic who is considered one of the most influential thinkers in Islamic history. His works, such as "The Incoherence of the Philosophers" and "The Revival of the Religious Sciences," had a profound impact on Islamic thought and philosophy.
In the 13th century, the name "MOVAHED" appeared in the writings of the Persian poet and philosopher Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273 AD), who is widely regarded as one of the greatest mystic poets of all time. Rumi's works, such as the "Masnavi" and the "Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi," have been celebrated for their spiritual depth and literary excellence.
During the Safavid dynasty in Persia (1501-1736 AD), the surname "MOVAHED" was associated with individuals who held positions of religious and political authority. One notable example is Mir Damad (1567-1631 AD), a Persian philosopher and theologian who served as the religious leader of Isfahan and played a significant role in the development of Shia Islamic thought.
In more recent history, the surname "MOVAHED" has been borne by individuals who have made contributions in various fields, such as academia, literature, and politics. For instance, Abdolkarim Movahed (1915-1979 AD) was an Iranian writer and journalist who played a prominent role in the literary and cultural life of Tehran during the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Movahed
Among Census respondents with the surname Movahed, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Movahed 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 Movahed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 100
- Two or more races9.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Movahed
Movahed 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 8,579 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 Movahed 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 | #136,449 | #145,028 | -6.3% |
| Count | 123 | 116 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Movahed bearers went from 123 to 116 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 8,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,028.
FAQ
Movahed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Movahed?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Movahed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Movahed?
Movahed ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Movahed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Movahed.
Has Movahed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Movahed went from 123 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Movahed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Movahed, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Movahed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Movahed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Two or More Races (9.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Movahed (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 Movahed mean?
A Persian surname meaning "monotheist" or "believer in one God". 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 Movahed (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 share the surname Movahed?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.