2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rashti
A surname derived from the name of the city Rasht, located in northern Iran.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Rashti. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rashti 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Rashti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rashti, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rashti
The surname RASHTI has its origins in Iran, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Persian word "Rasht," which refers to a city in the northern province of Gilan. This city was an important center of trade and commerce during the Middle Ages, and it is likely that the name RASHTI was originally adopted by families or individuals who hailed from or had ties to this region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RASHTI can be found in the "Tārīkh-e Gīlān" (History of Gilan), a historical text written by Zahīr al-Dīn Marāghī in the 14th century. This work mentions several prominent individuals with the surname RASHTI, suggesting that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the name RASHTI appears in several Persian manuscripts and documents, including the "Majmū'ah-ye Ash'ār" (Collection of Poems) by the celebrated poet Khwaju Kirmani. This work includes poems dedicated to a certain Mawlana Rashti, indicating that the name was associated with literary and scholarly circles during that era.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the surname RASHTI was Shaykh Muhammad Rashti (c. 1525-1595), a prominent Sufi mystic and scholar who lived during the Safavid dynasty. He was a disciple of the renowned Sufi master Shaykh Baha'al-Din 'Amili and authored several influential works on Sufism and Islamic philosophy.
Another notable individual was Mirza Rafi' Rashti (c. 1550-1620), a skilled calligrapher and poet who served as a court scribe during the reign of Shah Abbas I. His calligraphic works are highly regarded and can be found in numerous collections around the world.
In the 18th century, the name RASHTI was associated with the city of Rasht's thriving silk trade. One prominent figure from this period was Haji Mirza Reza Rashti (c. 1740-1810), a successful silk merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several mosques and educational institutions in Rasht.
Throughout the centuries, the surname RASHTI has also been linked to various place names and older spellings, such as "Rashtī," "Rashtī," and "Rāshtī," reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the regions where it was prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rashti
Among Census respondents with the surname Rashti, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rashti 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 Rashti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rashti
Rashti 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-16 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,025 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 14,025 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 Rashti 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 | #140,157 | #154,182 | -10.0% |
| Count | 119 | 103 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rashti bearers went from 119 to 103 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 14,025 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #154,182.
FAQ
Rashti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rashti?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Rashti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Rashti?
Rashti ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Rashti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rashti.
Has Rashti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rashti went from 119 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Rashti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rashti, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Rashti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rashti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Rashti (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 Rashti mean?
A surname derived from the name of the city Rasht, located in northern Iran. 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 Rashti (0.03 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 Rashti?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Rashti on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.