2010
#20,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Nasr
A surname with Arabic origins meaning victory or triumph.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,142 Americans carry the last name Nasr. That puts it at #15,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,016 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nasr 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 Nasr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,016
Census rank
#15,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,868 bearers of the surname Nasr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nasr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nasr
The surname NASR is of Arabic origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with its roots in the Arabic word "nasr" meaning "victory" or "eagle." This name was particularly prevalent in regions with significant Arab-Islamic influences, such as the Middle East and parts of North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NASR surname is found in historical texts from the 9th century, where it was associated with various influential families and individuals within the Islamic world. During this era, the name held a certain prestige and was often linked to military or scholarly achievements.
In the 11th century, the NASR surname gained further prominence with the rise of the Nasrid dynasty, which ruled over the Emirate of Granada, the last remaining Muslim territory in the Iberian Peninsula. The Nasrid rulers, such as Muhammad I (1195-1273) and Muhammad V (1339-1391), played a significant role in the cultural and architectural heritage of Granada.
As the Islamic civilization expanded across various regions, the NASR surname spread to different parts of the world. In the 13th century, records indicate the presence of individuals bearing this surname in areas like modern-day Iran and Central Asia, where they held influential positions within scholarly and religious circles.
One notable figure in the history of the NASR surname was Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), a renowned Arab historian, philosopher, and social scientist from present-day Tunisia. His seminal work, the Muqaddimah, is considered a pioneering work in the fields of sociology, historiography, and economics.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over vast territories from the 14th to the 20th centuries, the NASR surname was also found among influential families and individuals. One such figure was Nasreddin Hodja (1208-1284), a renowned Turkish satirist, philosopher, and Sufi mystic, whose witty tales and anecdotes have become an integral part of Middle Eastern folklore.
In the 19th century, the NASR surname gained further recognition with individuals like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (1838-1897), an influential Islamic philosopher and political activist who played a significant role in the late 19th-century Islamic revivalist movement.
Throughout its rich history, the NASR surname has been associated with scholars, rulers, philosophers, and influential figures across various fields, reflecting its deep-rooted connections to the Arab-Islamic world and its cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nasr
Among Census respondents with the surname Nasr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nasr 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 Nasr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 1,642
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 73
- Two or more races3.8% · 71
- Black or African American3.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nasr
Nasr 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
#15,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,868
+585 bearers (+45.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 5,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #20,636 | 1,283 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #15,152 | 1,868 | 0.62 | +585 bearers (+45.6%) | Up 5,484 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 Nasr 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 | #20,636 | #15,152 | 26.6% |
| Count | 1,283 | 1,868 | 45.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.62 | 45.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nasr bearers went from 1,283 to 1,868 (+45.6% change). The surname moved up 5,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,636 to #15,152.
FAQ
Nasr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nasr?
Name Census estimates that about 2,142 living Americans carry the surname Nasr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,016 residents.
How common is Nasr?
Nasr ranks #15,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,868 people with the surname Nasr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Nasr.
Has Nasr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nasr went from 1,283 recorded bearers to 1,868. That is an increase of 585 (+45.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,636 to #15,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Nasr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nasr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Nasr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (1,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nasr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Nasr (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 Nasr mean?
A surname with Arabic origins meaning victory or triumph. 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 Nasr (0.62 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 Nasr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.