Pasha last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Pasha

A name derived from the Turkish title for a high-ranking official or military leader.

Pasha, 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 Pasha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pasha in America

Pasha is the 19306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pasha surname appeared 1,402 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 Pasha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pasha 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 19306 23781 -20.77%
Count 1,402 993 34.15%
Proportion per 100k 0.48 0.37 25.88%

The history of the last name Pasha

The surname PASHA is of Turkish origin, deriving from the Ottoman Turkish title "Pasha" which was given to high-ranking officials and military commanders in the Ottoman Empire. The word itself is believed to have its roots in the Persian term "padshah," meaning "master" or "sovereign."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname PASHA can be traced back to the 16th century, during the height of the Ottoman Empire's expansion and influence across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe. As Ottoman officials and military leaders were granted the honorific title of Pasha, their descendants often adopted it as a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest documented examples of the PASHA surname can be found in the records of the Ottoman Empire, where several individuals bearing this name held prominent positions. Notably, Lala Mustafa Pasha (1500-1580) was a renowned Ottoman general and statesman who served as the Grand Vizier, the highest-ranking minister in the imperial government.

In the 17th century, the PASHA surname began to spread beyond the borders of the Ottoman Empire, as individuals bearing this name migrated to other regions. For instance, Yusuf Pasha (1635-1692), an Ottoman statesman and scholar, spent several years in exile in the Netherlands, where his descendants may have adopted the surname.

Another notable figure with the PASHA surname was Ahmed Pasha (1839-1897), a prominent Ottoman military leader who played a significant role in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. He was born in modern-day Bulgaria and rose through the ranks of the Ottoman army, eventually becoming a Pasha and commanding forces during the conflict.

In the 20th century, the PASHA surname continued to be associated with influential individuals from various backgrounds. One such person was Amir Pasha (1923-2013), an Egyptian diplomat and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt from 1976 to 1978.

It's worth noting that while the surname PASHA originated in the Ottoman Empire, it has since spread to other regions and cultures, particularly in areas that were once under Ottoman influence or had significant Turkish populations. As such, individuals bearing the PASHA surname can be found in various parts of the world today, carrying on the legacy of this historically significant name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pasha

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

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 Pasha was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 20.33% 285
Non-Hispanic Black Only 25.11% 352
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 47.43% 665
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.64% 65
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 Pasha has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 20.33% 24.67% -19.29%
Black 25.11% 28.20% -11.59%
Asian and Pacific Islander 47.43% 33.03% 35.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.64% 12.49% -91.65%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (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 Pasha was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Pasha last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/pasha-surname-popularity/.

"Pasha last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/pasha-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024

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

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