Najam last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Najam

A surname derived from Arabic meaning "star" or "celestial body."

Najam, 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 Najam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Najam in America

Najam is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Najam surname appeared 202 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 Najam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Najam 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 91221 118236 -25.80%
Count 202 136 39.05%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.05 33.33%

The history of the last name Najam

The surname NAJAM originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region that is now Pakistan. It can be traced back to the 11th century CE, during the period of the Delhi Sultanate. The name is derived from the Arabic word "najam," meaning "star" or "celestial body."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NAJAM can be found in the Persian manuscript "Tuzk-e-Jahangiri," written by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in the early 17th century. The manuscript mentions a noble courtier named Najam Khan, who served under the emperor.

The name NAJAM is also associated with several prominent figures in Islamic history. One such figure was Najam al-Din Kubra, a renowned Sufi mystic and spiritual leader who lived in the 12th century CE. He was born in Khwarezm, now part of Uzbekistan, and established the Kubrawiya Sufi order, which had a significant influence in Central Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Another notable individual with the surname NAJAM was Najam Hussain Syed, a prominent Pakistani politician and diplomat. He was born in 1936 and served as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan from 1982 to 1986. Syed played a crucial role in shaping Pakistan's foreign policy during the Soviet-Afghan war.

In the realm of literature, one can find the name NAJAM associated with Najam Hosain Syed, an acclaimed Urdu poet and writer. He was born in 1936 in Hyderabad, India, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential Urdu poets of the 20th century.

The surname NAJAM can also be found in the historical records of the Mughal Empire. One example is Najam Khan, a prominent noble and military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century. He was known for his bravery and military prowess, and played a significant role in the expansion of the Mughal Empire.

It is worth noting that the name NAJAM has undergone various spellings and variations over time, such as Najam, Najamuddin, and Najamudeen. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names in the Indian subcontinent, including the town of Najamabad in Uttar Pradesh, India, which was named after a local ruler with the surname NAJAM.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Najam

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

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 Najam was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 17.82% 36
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.48% 5
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 74.75% 151
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.97% 6
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Najam has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 17.82% 21.32% -17.88%
Black 2.48% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 74.75% 61.76% 19.03%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.97% 11.03% -115.14%
Hispanic (S)% 0.00% (S)%

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

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

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"Najam last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/najam-surname-popularity/.

"Najam last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/najam-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Najam last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/najam-surname-popularity/.

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