2010
#116,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ramzi
An Arabic surname derived from the word 'ramiz' meaning 'mystic' or 'symbolic'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 288 Americans carry the last name Ramzi. That puts it at #81,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,190,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ramzi 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.
Bearers in the US
288
1 in 1,190,119
Census rank
#81,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
251
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 251 bearers of the surname Ramzi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ramzi
The surname Ramzi is believed to have its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arab world. It is derived from the Arabic word "ramz," which means "symbol" or "code." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who had professions related to coding, writing, or deciphering symbols and messages.
In the early Islamic era, the name Ramzi appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly those documenting trade and commerce activities in the Arab world. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the "Kitab al-Aghani" (Book of Songs), a renowned anthology of Arabic poetry compiled in the 9th century.
The first recorded individual with the surname Ramzi was Abu Bakr Ramzi, a renowned Arabic poet and scholar who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century (786-850 AD). His works and literary contributions were highly regarded in his time and have been preserved in various Arabic literary collections.
Another notable figure with the surname Ramzi was Ibn al-Ramzi, a highly influential Arab philosopher and physician who lived in the late 9th and early 10th centuries (865-925 AD). He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and philosophy, and his writings were widely studied and referenced by scholars across the Islamic world.
In the 12th century, the name Ramzi appeared in records related to the Crusades, as several individuals with this surname were mentioned as scribes and interpreters who facilitated communication between the Crusaders and the Arab forces they encountered.
During the Ottoman Empire era, the surname Ramzi was particularly prominent in the regions of modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. One notable figure from this period was Mehmed Ramzi Pasha (1780-1853), a high-ranking Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century.
In more recent history, the surname Ramzi has been associated with several influential figures in the Arab world, including the Egyptian writer and poet Ahmed Ramzi (1892-1981), who played a significant role in the modern Arab literary renaissance.
Throughout its long history, the surname Ramzi has maintained a strong connection to its Arabic roots and has been carried by individuals from various professions, including scholars, poets, scribes, and government officials, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ramzi
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ramzi 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 Ramzi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander21.9% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 11
- Two or more races4.0% · 10
- Black or African American1.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ramzi
Ramzi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#81,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 251
+101 bearers (+67.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 34,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #116,201 | 150 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #81,311 | 251 | 0.08 | +101 bearers (+67.3%) | Up 34,890 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 Ramzi 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 | #116,201 | #81,311 | 30.0% |
| Count | 150 | 251 | 67.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.08 | 68.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ramzi bearers went from 150 to 251 (+67.3% change). The surname moved up 34,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,201 to #81,311.
FAQ
Ramzi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ramzi?
Name Census estimates that about 288 living Americans carry the surname Ramzi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,190,119 residents.
How common is Ramzi?
Ramzi ranks #81,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 251 people with the surname Ramzi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Ramzi.
Has Ramzi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ramzi went from 150 recorded bearers to 251. That is an increase of 101 (+67.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #116,201 to #81,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Ramzi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ramzi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ramzi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Ramzi (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 Ramzi mean?
An Arabic surname derived from the word 'ramiz' meaning 'mystic' or 'symbolic'. 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 Ramzi (0.08 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 Ramzi?
See how many people are called Ramzi on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.