2000
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Raza
A Spanish surname derived from the Arabic "raza," meaning "hope," "satisfaction," or referring to a non-Arab Muslim.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,609 Americans carry the last name Raza. That puts it at #6,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,108 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raza 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 Raza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,108
Census rank
#6,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,891 bearers of the surname Raza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raza
The surname RAZA has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northwestern region of what is now Pakistan and parts of northern India. The name is derived from the Arabic word "raz," which means "secret" or "mystery."
One of the earliest documented references to the surname RAZA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century gazetteer and administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions individuals with the name RAZA holding various administrative positions in the Mughal Empire.
In the 17th century, the RAZA surname appears in several Persian manuscripts and court records from the Deccan region of southern India, which was under the rule of the Nizam Shahi dynasty. During this period, the name was associated with scholars, poets, and members of the nobility.
The earliest known individual with the surname RAZA is Mir Raza Ali Khan (1556-1624), a renowned poet and scholar who served as a courtier under the Mughal Emperors Akbar and Jahangir. His collection of poetry, known as the Divan-e-Raza, is considered a masterpiece of Persian literature.
Another notable figure with the surname RAZA is Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898), a Muslim philosopher, jurist, and social reformer who played a pivotal role in the establishment of modern education in India. He founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which later became the Aligarh Muslim University.
In the 19th century, the RAZA surname gained prominence in the Hyderabad State, which was ruled by the Asaf Jah dynasty. One of the most influential figures from this era was Nawab Mehdi Raza Khan (1835-1908), a prominent statesman and prime minister of Hyderabad who played a crucial role in modernizing the state's administration.
The surname RAZA has also been associated with several notable personalities in the field of literature and arts. Amjad Raza (1914-1990) was a renowned Urdu poet and critic from Pakistan, while Sadequain (1930-1987), whose full name was Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi Raza, was a celebrated Pakistani artist known for his calligraphic works.
Another prominent figure with the surname RAZA is the Indian artist Syed Haider Raza (1922-2016), a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group in India and one of the most influential modern painters of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raza
Among Census respondents with the surname Raza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Raza 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 Raza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.8% · 4,146
- White6.4% · 314
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 195
- Two or more races3.9% · 190
- Black or African American0.7% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raza
Raza 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
#9,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,392
+1,416 bearers (+71.7%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 4,423 places
2020
#6,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,891
+1,499 bearers (+44.2%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Up 2,948 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,006 | 1,976 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,583 | 3,392 | 1.15 | +1,416 bearers (+71.7%) | Up 4,423 places |
| 2020 | #6,635 | 4,891 | 1.64 | +1,499 bearers (+44.2%) | Up 2,948 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 Raza 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 | #9,583 | #6,635 | 30.8% |
| Count | 3,392 | 4,891 | 44.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.64 | 42.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raza bearers went from 3,392 to 4,891 (+44.2% change). The surname moved up 2,948 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,583 to #6,635.
FAQ
Raza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raza?
Name Census estimates that about 5,609 living Americans carry the surname Raza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,108 residents.
How common is Raza?
Raza ranks #6,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,891 people with the surname Raza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,609), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Raza.
Has Raza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raza went from 3,392 recorded bearers to 4,891. That is an increase of 1,499 (+44.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,583 to #6,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Raza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Raza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (4,146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (84.8%), White (6.4%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Raza (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 Raza mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Arabic "raza," meaning "hope," "satisfaction," or referring to a non-Arab Muslim. 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 Raza (1.64 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 Raza?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.