2000
#39,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Rare Last name
Quraishi
A surname referring to a person descended from the Quraysh tribe in Arabia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,246 Americans carry the last name Quraishi. That puts it at #24,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 275,084 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quraishi 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 Quraishi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 275,084
Census rank
#24,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,087 bearers of the surname Quraishi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quraishi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.2%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Two or More Races (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quraishi
The surname Quraishi originated in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically from the region of Hejaz, which is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia. It is an Arabic name that dates back to the 7th century AD, during the time of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
The name Quraishi is derived from the Arabic word "Quraish," which refers to the famous Arab tribe from Mecca. This tribe played a significant role in the early history of Islam, as it was the tribe to which Prophet Muhammad belonged. The Quraish tribe was known for their influential trading activities and their control over the Kaaba, the sacred cuboid building in Mecca.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Quraishi can be found in various Arabic manuscripts and historical records from the 7th century onwards. These documents often mention individuals with the surname Quraishi in relation to their tribal affiliation or their lineage tracing back to the Quraish tribe.
One of the earliest and most notable figures with the surname Quraishi was Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate and a close companion of Prophet Muhammad. He was born in 573 AD in Mecca and played a crucial role in the early spread of Islam.
Another prominent individual with the surname Quraishi was Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, a paternal uncle of Prophet Muhammad and a respected figure in early Islamic history. He was born in 567 AD in Mecca and participated in several significant battles during the early Muslim conquests.
In the 9th century, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, a renowned Islamic scholar and historian, carried the surname Quraishi. He was born in 838 AD in Amol, Tabaristan (present-day Iran) and is best known for his massive historical work, "History of the Prophets and Kings."
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 AD, several members of the ruling dynasty bore the surname Quraishi, as they claimed descent from the Quraish tribe. One notable example was Harun al-Rashid, the fifth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 786 to 809 AD and is renowned for his patronage of arts and sciences.
In more recent times, a famous figure with the surname Quraishi was Muhammad Iqbal, a philosopher, poet, and politician who played a significant role in the Pakistan movement. He was born in 1877 in Sialkot (present-day Pakistan) and is widely regarded as the spiritual father of Pakistan.
The surname Quraishi has remained prevalent among Arab and Muslim communities throughout history, reflecting the enduring importance of tribal affiliations and lineages in these societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quraishi
Among Census respondents with the surname Quraishi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.2%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Two or More Races (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Quraishi 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 Quraishi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.2% · 850
- White10.6% · 115
- Two or more races9.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quraishi
Quraishi 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
#30,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 750
+226 bearers (+43.1%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 8,519 places
2020
#24,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,087
+337 bearers (+44.9%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 6,956 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,499 | 524 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,980 | 750 | 0.25 | +226 bearers (+43.1%) | Up 8,519 places |
| 2020 | #24,024 | 1,087 | 0.36 | +337 bearers (+44.9%) | Up 6,956 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 Quraishi 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 | #30,980 | #24,024 | 22.5% |
| Count | 750 | 1,087 | 44.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.36 | 45.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quraishi bearers went from 750 to 1,087 (+44.9% change). The surname moved up 6,956 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,980 to #24,024.
FAQ
Quraishi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quraishi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,246 living Americans carry the surname Quraishi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 275,084 residents.
How common is Quraishi?
Quraishi ranks #24,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,087 people with the surname Quraishi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Quraishi.
Has Quraishi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quraishi went from 750 recorded bearers to 1,087. That is an increase of 337 (+44.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #30,980 to #24,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Quraishi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quraishi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.2%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Two or More Races (9.1%). 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 Quraishi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (850 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quraishi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.2%), White (10.6%), Two or More Races (9.1%). 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 Quraishi (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 Quraishi mean?
A surname referring to a person descended from the Quraysh tribe in Arabia. 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 Quraishi (0.36 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 Quraishi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.