2000
#11,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Nassar
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "victor," "protector," or "helper," derived from the Arabic verb "naṣara."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,043 Americans carry the last name Nassar. That puts it at #8,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nassar 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 Nassar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 84,777
Census rank
#8,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,526 bearers of the surname Nassar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nassar, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nassar
The surname Nassar originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the Middle East. It is believed to have emerged in the region around the 7th century AD, during the early Islamic era.
Nassar is derived from the Arabic word "nasr," which means "eagle" or "victory." The name may have been initially given to individuals who displayed qualities associated with eagles, such as strength, courage, and sharp vision. Alternatively, it could have been bestowed upon those who achieved significant victories or successes.
Early records of the name Nassar can be found in historical manuscripts and documents from various parts of the Arab world. One notable mention is in the "Kitab al-Ansab" (Book of Genealogies), a comprehensive work on Arab genealogy compiled in the 9th century by Historian Al-Sam'ani.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Nassar was Abu Nasr al-Farabi, a renowned philosopher, logician, and scientist born in 872 AD in present-day Kazakhstan. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the medieval Islamic world and is often referred to as the "Second Teacher" after Aristotle.
Another prominent figure with the surname Nassar was Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, a Persian polymath born in 1201 AD in present-day Iran. He made significant contributions to various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. Al-Tusi is particularly known for his work on the theory of planetary motion and his reformulation of Euclid's parallel postulate.
In the 13th century, the name Nassar appeared in the writings of the famous Arab historian and traveler Ibn Battuta. He mentioned encountering individuals with this surname during his extensive travels across the Muslim world, indicating the widespread presence of the name in various regions.
Another notable figure was Nassar al-Din al-Razi, a renowned Persian physician, philosopher, and alchemist born in 854 AD. He wrote several influential works on medicine, including the comprehensive medical encyclopedia "Al-Hawi" (The Comprehensive Book), which became a standard reference in the field for centuries.
The name Nassar has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout the Middle East and North Africa. For example, the city of Nasiriyah in modern-day Iraq was named after Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, reflecting the influence and legacy of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nassar
Among Census respondents with the surname Nassar, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nassar 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 Nassar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 2,869
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 328
- Two or more races4.3% · 151
- Black or African American3.0% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nassar
Nassar 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
#9,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,377
+836 bearers (+32.9%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 1,757 places
2020
#8,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,526
+149 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 712 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,378 | 2,541 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,621 | 3,377 | 1.14 | +836 bearers (+32.9%) | Up 1,757 places |
| 2020 | #8,909 | 3,526 | 1.18 | +149 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 712 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 Nassar 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 | #9,621 | #8,909 | 7.4% |
| Count | 3,377 | 3,526 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.18 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nassar bearers went from 3,377 to 3,526 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 712 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,621 to #8,909.
FAQ
Nassar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nassar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,043 living Americans carry the surname Nassar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,777 residents.
How common is Nassar?
Nassar ranks #8,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,526 people with the surname Nassar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,043), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Nassar.
Has Nassar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nassar went from 3,377 recorded bearers to 3,526. That is an increase of 149 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,621 to #8,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Nassar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nassar, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) 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 Nassar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (2,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nassar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Hispanic (9.3%), 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 Nassar (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 Nassar mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "victor," "protector," or "helper," derived from the Arabic verb "naṣara." 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 Nassar (1.18 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 Nassar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.