2000
#31,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 699
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Rare Last name
Qazi
A surname derived from the Arabic word for a Muslim judge or jurist.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,993 Americans carry the last name Qazi. That puts it at #16,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,979 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Qazi 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 Qazi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 171,979
Census rank
#16,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,738 bearers of the surname Qazi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Qazi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and White (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Qazi
The surname QAZI is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions that are now parts of modern-day Pakistan and India. The name has its roots in the Arabic word "qadi," which means "judge" or "magistrate." It is closely associated with the Islamic judicial system and the role of the qadi in interpreting and administering Islamic law.
In the early centuries of Islamic rule in the Indian subcontinent, the title of Qazi was bestowed upon individuals who served as judges and legal scholars within the Islamic judicial system. Over time, the title evolved into a hereditary surname, particularly among families with a tradition of legal expertise and religious scholarship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname QAZI can be found in the chronicles of the Delhi Sultanate, which ruled over parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 13th to the 16th century. Several notable individuals bearing the surname QAZI served as advisors, scholars, and legal experts during this period.
One such individual was Qazi Mughis Uddin, who lived in the 13th century and was a renowned jurist and scholar. He served as the chief judge (Qazi-ul-Quzat) during the reign of Sultan Iltutmish, and his legal opinions and writings were widely respected.
Another notable figure was Qazi Nurullah Shustari, who lived in the 15th century and was a prominent scholar and poet. He served as the chief judge during the reign of Sultan Bahlol Lodi and is known for his works on Islamic jurisprudence and literature.
In the 16th century, Qazi Ahmad Amin Razi, a legal scholar and theologian from Delhi, gained recognition for his contributions to Islamic scholarship. He wrote extensively on various aspects of Islamic law and theology.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century, the surname QAZI continued to be associated with legal and religious scholars. One notable figure was Qazi Nurullah Shustari, who served as the chief judge during the reign of Emperor Akbar.
In more recent history, Qazi Motahar Hossain (1908-1987) was a renowned Bengali writer and scholar from Bangladesh. He made significant contributions to Bengali literature and was a prominent figure in the Bengali language movement.
These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname QAZI who have left their mark on history. The name continues to be prevalent in various regions of South Asia and beyond, reflecting its deep-rooted association with Islamic legal traditions and scholarly pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Qazi
Among Census respondents with the surname Qazi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and White (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Qazi 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 Qazi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.3% · 1,569
- Two or more races4.7% · 81
- White3.6% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Qazi
Qazi 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
#21,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,219
+520 bearers (+74.4%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Up 9,900 places
2020
#16,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,738
+519 bearers (+42.6%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 5,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,339 | 699 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,439 | 1,219 | 0.41 | +520 bearers (+74.4%) | Up 9,900 places |
| 2020 | #16,112 | 1,738 | 0.58 | +519 bearers (+42.6%) | Up 5,327 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 Qazi 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 | #21,439 | #16,112 | 24.8% |
| Count | 1,219 | 1,738 | 42.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.58 | 41.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Qazi bearers went from 1,219 to 1,738 (+42.6% change). The surname moved up 5,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,439 to #16,112.
FAQ
Qazi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Qazi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,993 living Americans carry the surname Qazi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,979 residents.
How common is Qazi?
Qazi ranks #16,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,738 people with the surname Qazi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Qazi.
Has Qazi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Qazi went from 1,219 recorded bearers to 1,738. That is an increase of 519 (+42.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,439 to #16,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Qazi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Qazi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and White (3.6%). 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 Qazi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Qazi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%), White (3.6%). 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 Qazi (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 Qazi mean?
A surname derived from the Arabic word for a Muslim judge or jurist. 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 Qazi (0.58 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 Qazi?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Qazi at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.