2000
#6,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Uncommon Last name
Qureshi
A surname indicating a person who is a descendant of the Quraish tribe, the tribe of Prophet Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,191 Americans carry the last name Qureshi. That puts it at #3,882 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Qureshi 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 Qureshi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,633
Census rank
#3,882
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,887 bearers of the surname Qureshi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3882nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Qureshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Qureshi
The surname Qureshi originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region known as Persia (modern-day Iran) during the 7th century. It is derived from the Arabic word "Quraish," which was the name of the influential tribe that the Prophet Muhammad belonged to. The tribe played a significant role in the early days of Islam, and its members were known for their mercantile and trading activities.
The earliest recorded instances of the Qureshi surname can be traced back to the 8th century, when it appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the Abbasid Caliphate. These records often mentioned individuals with the surname Qureshi holding prominent positions within the caliphate's administration and military.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Qureshi was Umar ibn al-Khattab (586-644 CE), a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad and the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Islamic empire and the establishment of Islamic law.
Another notable figure was Abu Bakr al-Qurashi (573-634 CE), the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate and one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad. He was instrumental in the early spread of Islam and the compilation of the Quran.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 CE, several individuals with the surname Qureshi held high-ranking positions. One such person was Abu al-Abbas al-Qurashi (718-754 CE), the founder of the Abbasid dynasty and the first Abbasid caliph.
As the Islamic empire expanded, the Qureshi surname began to spread across various regions, including the Indian subcontinent. One notable figure from this region was Syed Ahmed Barelvi (1786-1831 CE), a Muslim scholar and revolutionary who led a movement against the Sikh Empire in modern-day Pakistan.
In more recent history, Abdus Salam (1926-1996 CE), a Pakistani theoretical physicist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for his contributions to the electroweak unification theory. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century.
Throughout its history, the Qureshi surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, religious leaders, merchants, and political figures. Despite its Middle Eastern origins, the name has gained a strong foothold in various parts of the world, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Qureshi
Among Census respondents with the surname Qureshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Qureshi 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 Qureshi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.4% · 7,765
- Two or more races5.3% · 467
- White4.5% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 179
- Black or African American0.7% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Qureshi
Qureshi 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
#5,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,966
+2,493 bearers (+55.7%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Up 1,886 places
2020
#3,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,887
+1,921 bearers (+27.6%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Up 1,153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,921 | 4,473 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,035 | 6,966 | 2.36 | +2,493 bearers (+55.7%) | Up 1,886 places |
| 2020 | #3,882 | 8,887 | 2.97 | +1,921 bearers (+27.6%) | Up 1,153 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 Qureshi 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 | #5,035 | #3,882 | 22.9% |
| Count | 6,966 | 8,887 | 27.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.97 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Qureshi bearers went from 6,966 to 8,887 (+27.6% change). The surname moved up 1,153 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,035 to #3,882.
FAQ
Qureshi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Qureshi?
Name Census estimates that about 10,191 living Americans carry the surname Qureshi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,633 residents.
How common is Qureshi?
Qureshi ranks #3,882 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,887 people with the surname Qureshi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Qureshi.
Has Qureshi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Qureshi went from 6,966 recorded bearers to 8,887. That is an increase of 1,921 (+27.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,035 to #3,882.
What does the Census say about the background of Qureshi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Qureshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (4.5%). 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 Qureshi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (7,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Qureshi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), White (4.5%). 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 Qureshi (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 Qureshi mean?
A surname indicating a person who is a descendant of the Quraish tribe, the tribe of Prophet Muhammad. 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 Qureshi (2.97 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 Qureshi?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Qureshi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.