2000
#83,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Rare Last name
Qasim
A surname referring to one who distributes provisions or supplies.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,347 Americans carry the last name Qasim. That puts it at #22,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 254,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Qasim 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 Qasim with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 254,458
Census rank
#22,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,175 bearers of the surname Qasim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Qasim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.5%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Black (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Qasim
The surname Qasim originated in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It derives from the Arabic name Qasim, which means "distributor" or "divider." This name has its roots in the Arabic word "qasama," meaning "to distribute" or "to divide."
The earliest known records of the surname Qasim can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. As Islam spread across the region, the name Qasim became more widespread, and it eventually evolved into a hereditary surname.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname Qasim was Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, a renowned Muslim physician and surgeon who lived in the 10th century CE in what is now modern-day Spain. Al-Zahrawi is considered one of the greatest medieval surgical scholars and is credited with numerous medical innovations and contributions to the field of surgery.
Another notable figure with the surname Qasim was Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr, a 10th-century Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad. He is known for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and for his work as a judge in the Abbasid caliphate.
In the 12th century, Qasim al-Nuri was a prominent Islamic scholar and poet from Khurasan, present-day Afghanistan and parts of Iran. He is renowned for his poetry and his contributions to the study of Arabic literature and language.
During the Ottoman Empire, the Qasim family held significant political and military positions. One notable member was Qasim Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and military commander who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th century.
In more recent history, Qasim Amin was an Egyptian writer, lawyer, and Islamic reformer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the Egyptian feminist movement and is known for his work advocating for women's rights and education in the Arab world.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Qasim, a name with deep roots in the Arabic-speaking world and a rich cultural and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Qasim
Among Census respondents with the surname Qasim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.5%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Black (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Qasim 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 Qasim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander46.5% · 546
- White36.3% · 427
- Black or African American8.9% · 104
- Two or more races6.0% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Qasim
Qasim 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
#42,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 504
+296 bearers (+142.3%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 41,028 places
2020
#22,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,175
+671 bearers (+133.1%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 20,491 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 | #42,937 | 504 | 0.17 | +296 bearers (+142.3%) | Up 41,028 places |
| 2020 | #22,446 | 1,175 | 0.39 | +671 bearers (+133.1%) | Up 20,491 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 Qasim 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 | #42,937 | #22,446 | 47.7% |
| Count | 504 | 1,175 | 133.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.39 | 131.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Qasim bearers went from 504 to 1,175 (+133.1% change). The surname moved up 20,491 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,937 to #22,446.
FAQ
Qasim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Qasim?
Name Census estimates that about 1,347 living Americans carry the surname Qasim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 254,458 residents.
How common is Qasim?
Qasim ranks #22,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,175 people with the surname Qasim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Qasim.
Has Qasim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Qasim went from 504 recorded bearers to 1,175. That is an increase of 671 (+133.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #42,937 to #22,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Qasim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Qasim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.5%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Black (8.9%). 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 Qasim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.5% (546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Qasim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (46.5%), White (36.3%), Black (8.9%). 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 Qasim (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 Qasim mean?
A surname referring to one who distributes provisions or supplies. 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 Qasim (0.39 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 have the last name Qasim?
You can see how many people have the surname Qasim on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.