2000
#17,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,454
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Najjar
An occupational surname traditionally referring to a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,551 Americans carry the last name Najjar. That puts it at #13,170 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Najjar 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 Najjar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 134,361
Census rank
#13,170
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,225 bearers of the surname Najjar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13170th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Najjar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Najjar
The surname "NAJJAR" is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "najjar" which means "carpenter" or "woodworker" in Arabic. This occupational surname originated in the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period, particularly in areas with significant Arab influence and settlement.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "NAJJAR" can be traced back to the 8th century AD, when Arabic became the dominant language in the region. Historical records from this time period, such as legal documents, court records, and manuscripts, often mention individuals bearing this surname, indicating their occupation as carpenters or woodworkers.
One notable historical reference is the 10th-century manuscript "Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), which mentions a famous musician and poet named Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani al-Najjar (897-967 AD). This suggests that the surname "NAJJAR" was well-established among Arab communities by this time.
During the medieval period, the surname "NAJJAR" was particularly prevalent in regions like Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and the Levant, where Arab culture and Islamic civilization flourished. As trade and migration patterns evolved, the surname spread to other parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and eventually to other parts of the world.
One notable figure from history with the surname "NAJJAR" is Ibn al-Najjar (1210-1285 AD), an Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad, who made significant contributions to the field of optics and wrote several treatises on the subject.
Another prominent individual was Abul Hasan Ali ibn Abi al-Rijal al-Najjar (1259-1330 AD), a Syrian historian and writer who documented the history of Damascus and its surrounding regions during the Mamluk period.
In the 15th century, Nur al-Din al-Najjar (1435-1508 AD), a Syrian scholar and theologian, gained recognition for his works on Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the Ottoman era, the surname "NAJJAR" continued to be associated with skilled craftsmen and woodworkers. One notable figure was Ahmed al-Najjar (1570-1635 AD), a renowned Ottoman architect who designed and constructed several mosques and public buildings in Istanbul and other parts of the Ottoman Empire.
Throughout history, the surname "NAJJAR" has been found in various place names and older spellings, such as "Najjarah" or "Najari," reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. These place names often referred to areas where carpenters or woodworkers were concentrated, further solidifying the occupational connection of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Najjar
Among Census respondents with the surname Najjar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Najjar 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 Najjar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 1,951
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 113
- Two or more races4.3% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 44
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Najjar
Najjar 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
#17,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,587
+133 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 81 places
2020
#13,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,225
+638 bearers (+40.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 4,512 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,763 | 1,454 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,682 | 1,587 | 0.54 | +133 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 81 places |
| 2020 | #13,170 | 2,225 | 0.74 | +638 bearers (+40.2%) | Up 4,512 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 Najjar 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 | #17,682 | #13,170 | 25.5% |
| Count | 1,587 | 2,225 | 40.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.74 | 37.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Najjar bearers went from 1,587 to 2,225 (+40.2% change). The surname moved up 4,512 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,682 to #13,170.
FAQ
Najjar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Najjar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,551 living Americans carry the surname Najjar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,361 residents.
How common is Najjar?
Najjar ranks #13,170 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,225 people with the surname Najjar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Najjar.
Has Najjar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Najjar went from 1,587 recorded bearers to 2,225. That is an increase of 638 (+40.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,682 to #13,170.
What does the Census say about the background of Najjar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Najjar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Najjar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (1,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Najjar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Najjar (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 Najjar mean?
An occupational surname traditionally referring to a carpenter or woodworker. 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 Najjar (0.74 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 Najjar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.