2000
#13,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Rasheed
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "rightly guided" or "following the correct path."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,063 Americans carry the last name Rasheed. That puts it at #8,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rasheed 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 Rasheed with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,360
Census rank
#8,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,543 bearers of the surname Rasheed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rasheed, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and White (21.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rasheed
The surname RASHEED is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "rashid," meaning "rightly guided" or "righteous." It traces its roots back to the early Islamic era, around the 7th century AD, when it was adopted as a descriptive name by individuals who embodied these qualities.
The RASHEED surname is particularly prevalent in the Middle Eastern region, especially in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. It is also found in other parts of the Arab world, as well as in communities with significant Arab ancestry or influence.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name RASHEED can be found in historical accounts of the Rashidun Caliphate, the first Islamic caliphate that immediately succeeded the Prophet Muhammad. The Rashidun Caliphs, including Abu Bakr (573-634 CE), Umar ibn al-Khattab (586-644 CE), and Uthman ibn Affan (577-656 CE), were known for their wisdom, leadership, and adherence to Islamic principles.
The RASHEED surname has been associated with notable figures throughout history, such as Al-Rasheed, the 5th Abbasid Caliph (763-809 CE), who ruled during the golden age of the Abbasid Caliphate and oversaw significant cultural and intellectual advancements. Another prominent individual was Harun al-Rashid (763-809 CE), the fifth Abbasid Caliph, who is renowned for his patronage of the arts, sciences, and literature, as well as his appearance in the famous collection of folk tales, "One Thousand and One Nights."
In the literary realm, the renowned Arab poet and philosopher Al-Ma'arri (973-1057 CE), whose full name was Abu al-Ala Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Tanukhi al-Ma'arri al-Rasheed, was a prominent figure known for his profound and thought-provoking works.
Among the earlier recorded examples of the name, there is mention of a prominent scholar and jurist named Al-Rasheed al-Baghdadi (d. 1153 CE), who made significant contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and theology.
While the RASHEED surname originated in the Arab world, it has since spread to various regions through migration and cultural exchange. It can be found among individuals of diverse backgrounds and nationalities who have adopted or been influenced by Arabic naming traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rasheed
Among Census respondents with the surname Rasheed, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and White (21.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rasheed 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 Rasheed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.5% · 1,327
- Black or African American32.1% · 1,137
- White21.1% · 746
- Two or more races6.3% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rasheed
Rasheed 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
#11,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,822
+772 bearers (+37.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 2,384 places
2020
#8,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,543
+721 bearers (+25.5%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 2,328 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,584 | 2,050 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,200 | 2,822 | 0.96 | +772 bearers (+37.7%) | Up 2,384 places |
| 2020 | #8,872 | 3,543 | 1.19 | +721 bearers (+25.5%) | Up 2,328 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 Rasheed 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 | #11,200 | #8,872 | 20.8% |
| Count | 2,822 | 3,543 | 25.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 1.19 | 23.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rasheed bearers went from 2,822 to 3,543 (+25.5% change). The surname moved up 2,328 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,200 to #8,872.
FAQ
Rasheed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rasheed?
Name Census estimates that about 4,063 living Americans carry the surname Rasheed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,360 residents.
How common is Rasheed?
Rasheed ranks #8,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,543 people with the surname Rasheed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Rasheed.
Has Rasheed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rasheed went from 2,822 recorded bearers to 3,543. That is an increase of 721 (+25.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,200 to #8,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Rasheed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rasheed, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and White (21.1%). 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 Rasheed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.5% (1,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rasheed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.5%), Black (32.1%), White (21.1%). 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 Rasheed (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 Rasheed mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "rightly guided" or "following the correct path." 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 Rasheed (1.19 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 surname Rasheed?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.