2000
#83,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Pirzada
An occupational surname referring to a religious instructor or spiritual guide.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 508 Americans carry the last name Pirzada. That puts it at #50,912 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 674,713 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pirzada 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 Pirzada with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
508
1 in 674,713
Census rank
#50,912
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
443
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 443 bearers of the surname Pirzada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50912th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pirzada, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pirzada
The surname PIRZADA is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the region now known as Pakistan. It is derived from the Persian word "Pir," which means a spiritual guide or a revered elder, and "Zada," which means born or descended from. Therefore, the name PIRZADA likely referred to someone who was born into a family of spiritual leaders or had a direct lineage to a revered Pir.
The earliest known records of the name PIRZADA can be traced back to the 16th century during the Mughal Empire in South Asia. During this period, Sufi mystics and spiritual leaders played a significant role in the region's cultural and religious landscape. It is possible that the name PIRZADA gained prominence among families associated with these spiritual traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PIRZADA appears in the 17th-century manuscript "Akbarnama," a biographical account of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The manuscript mentions a certain Pir Mohammad Pirzada, who was a spiritual advisor to the emperor. This reference suggests that the name PIRZADA was already in use and held a significant position in the imperial court during that time.
In the 18th century, the region of present-day Pakistan witnessed the rise of various Sufi orders and spiritual movements. It is likely that during this period, the name PIRZADA became more closely associated with families involved in these spiritual traditions, as they claimed descent from revered Pirs or spiritual guides.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname PIRZADA include:
1. Syed Ahmad Pirzada (1856-1938), a prominent Sufi scholar and spiritual leader from Multan, British India (now in Pakistan).
2. Abdur Rahman Pirzada (1895-1982), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Gujrat, British India (now in Pakistan).
3. Ghulam Ahmad Pirzada (1901-1989), a renowned Sufi poet and mystic from Lahore, British India (now in Pakistan).
4. Syed Maudood Pirzada (1920-2013), a distinguished Pakistani jurist and legal scholar who served as the Attorney General of Pakistan.
5. Imran Pirzada (born 1967), a Pakistani journalist and television host known for his political commentary and analysis.
The surname PIRZADA has maintained its spiritual connotations and continues to be associated with families of revered spiritual lineages in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Pakistan and parts of India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pirzada
Among Census respondents with the surname Pirzada, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pirzada 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 Pirzada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.1% · 386
- White5.2% · 23
- Two or more races5.2% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pirzada
Pirzada 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
#59,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 339
+131 bearers (+63.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 24,362 places
2020
#50,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 443
+104 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 8,691 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,965 | 208 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,603 | 339 | 0.11 | +131 bearers (+63.0%) | Up 24,362 places |
| 2020 | #50,912 | 443 | 0.15 | +104 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 8,691 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 Pirzada 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 | #59,603 | #50,912 | 14.6% |
| Count | 339 | 443 | 30.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.15 | 34.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pirzada bearers went from 339 to 443 (+30.7% change). The surname moved up 8,691 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,603 to #50,912.
FAQ
Pirzada surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pirzada?
Name Census estimates that about 508 living Americans carry the surname Pirzada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 674,713 residents.
How common is Pirzada?
Pirzada ranks #50,912 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 443 people with the surname Pirzada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pirzada.
Has Pirzada become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pirzada went from 339 recorded bearers to 443. That is an increase of 104 (+30.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #59,603 to #50,912.
What does the Census say about the background of Pirzada?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pirzada, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pirzada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pirzada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.1%), White (5.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Pirzada (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 Pirzada mean?
An occupational surname referring to a religious instructor or spiritual guide. 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 Pirzada (0.15 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 are called Pirzada?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Pirzada? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.