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

Muslim, 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 Muslim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Muslim in America

Muslim is the 83226th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Muslim surname appeared 226 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Muslim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Muslim 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 Muslim

The surname Muslim is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in regions with a significant Islamic population. It is derived from the Arabic word "Muslim," which means "one who submits to the will of God." The name likely emerged during the early centuries of Islam, around the 7th century AD, as a way to identify individuals who embraced the faith of Islam.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Muslim can be found in historical documents and records from various parts of the Islamic world, including the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, and parts of North Africa. Some of the earliest known individuals bearing this surname include the scholar and philosopher Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD), who was born in Tus, Persia, and is considered one of the most influential thinkers in Islamic history.

Another notable figure with the surname Muslim was Ibn Muslim al-Jahiz (776-869 AD), a prominent Arabic prose writer and theologian from Basra, Iraq. He is renowned for his significant contributions to the development of Arabic literature and his insightful observations on various aspects of society and culture.

In the 12th century, the surname Muslim also appeared in the Seljuk Empire, which spanned parts of modern-day Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia. One notable individual from this period was Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149-1209 AD), a Persian philosopher, theologian, and polymath who lived in the city of Rayy, near present-day Tehran.

During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled much of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe from the 13th to the 20th centuries, the surname Muslim continued to be prevalent. One renowned figure from this period was Piri Reis (1465-1554 AD), an Ottoman admiral, geographer, and cartographer who is best known for his world maps, including the famous Piri Reis map.

In the 19th century, the surname Muslim also appeared in parts of South Asia, particularly in regions with a significant Muslim population, such as present-day Pakistan and India. One notable individual from this era was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898 AD), an Indian Muslim philosopher, scholar, and social reformer who played a significant role in the revival of Islamic education and the promotion of modern scientific education among Muslims in British India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Muslim

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

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

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

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