2000
#38,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Nadeem
A surname meaning "the praised one" or "the commended one" of Arabic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,332 Americans carry the last name Nadeem. That puts it at #14,170 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,979 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nadeem 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nadeem with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,979
Census rank
#14,170
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,034 bearers of the surname Nadeem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14170th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nadeem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nadeem
The surname Nadeem has its origins in the Arab world, specifically in regions like Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. It is derived from the Arabic word "nadim," which means "companion" or "friend." This surname likely emerged during the medieval period, when Arab culture and influence were spreading across various regions.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Nadeem can be found in the records of the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled a vast empire stretching from modern-day Iran to North Africa between the 8th and 13th centuries. Historical accounts mention several individuals with the surname Nadeem serving as companions or advisors to various caliphs during this period.
In the 10th century, a renowned Arab scholar and poet named Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, also known as Al-Nadeem, authored the influential work "Al-Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), which documented the history of Arabic music and poetry. His surname, Al-Nadeem, is believed to have been derived from his role as a companion and confidant to the Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tadid.
During the Ottoman Empire's rule over much of the Arab world, from the 16th to the early 20th century, the surname Nadeem continued to be used and appeared in various administrative records and documents. One notable figure from this period was Ahmad Nadeem Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the governor of Damascus in the late 18th century.
In more recent history, the surname Nadeem has been associated with several influential figures in the fields of literature, politics, and academia. Among them is Ghalib Nadeem, a Pakistani writer and journalist born in 1921, who was known for his novels and short stories that explored social and political themes in South Asia.
Another prominent individual with the surname Nadeem is Azhar Nadeem, a Pakistani politician and human rights activist born in 1948, who has served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and has been involved in various initiatives promoting democracy and civil liberties.
Additionally, Sami Nadeem, born in 1967, is a renowned Pakistani academic and researcher in the field of computer science, who has made significant contributions to the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.
While the surname Nadeem has its roots in the Arab world, it has since spread to other regions, including South Asia and parts of Africa, due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nadeem
Among Census respondents with the surname Nadeem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nadeem 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 Nadeem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.1% · 1,852
- White4.4% · 89
- Two or more races2.1% · 42
- Black or African American1.2% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nadeem
Nadeem 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
#21,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,238
+698 bearers (+129.3%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 17,320 places
2020
#14,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,034
+796 bearers (+64.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 7,034 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,524 | 540 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,204 | 1,238 | 0.42 | +698 bearers (+129.3%) | Up 17,320 places |
| 2020 | #14,170 | 2,034 | 0.68 | +796 bearers (+64.3%) | Up 7,034 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 Nadeem 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 | #21,204 | #14,170 | 33.2% |
| Count | 1,238 | 2,034 | 64.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.68 | 62.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nadeem bearers went from 1,238 to 2,034 (+64.3% change). The surname moved up 7,034 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,204 to #14,170.
FAQ
Nadeem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nadeem?
Name Census estimates that about 2,332 living Americans carry the surname Nadeem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,979 residents.
How common is Nadeem?
Nadeem ranks #14,170 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,034 people with the surname Nadeem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,332), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Nadeem.
Has Nadeem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nadeem went from 1,238 recorded bearers to 2,034. That is an increase of 796 (+64.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,204 to #14,170.
What does the Census say about the background of Nadeem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nadeem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nadeem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,852 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nadeem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.1%), White (4.4%), 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 Nadeem (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 Nadeem mean?
A surname meaning "the praised one" or "the commended one" of Arabic origin. 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 Nadeem (0.68 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 have the surname Nadeem?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.