2000
#14,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,910
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Rizvi
A surname of Indian and Pakistani origin, derived from the Arabic word "rida," meaning contentment or satisfaction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,425 Americans carry the last name Rizvi. That puts it at #6,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,181 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rizvi 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 Rizvi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,181
Census rank
#6,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,731 bearers of the surname Rizvi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizvi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and White (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rizvi
The surname Rizvi is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions that are now part of modern-day Pakistan and India. It traces its roots back to the 12th century and the Islamic conquests of the region.
Rizvi is derived from the Arabic word "Rizwi," which means "one who is pleasing" or "one who is accepted." This name is associated with the revered Islamic figure Hazrat Ali Razi Allah Anhu, who was the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The earliest known reference to the name Rizvi can be found in the historical chronicles and genealogical records of the Muslim dynasties that ruled over the Indian subcontinent, such as the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Rizvi is that of Syed Muhammad Rizvi, a renowned Islamic scholar and Sufi saint who lived in the 13th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the spread of Islamic teachings and the establishment of educational institutions in the region.
Another notable figure with the surname Rizvi is Mirza Hakim Rizvi, a prominent physician and scholar who lived during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. He authored several influential works on medicine and is credited with introducing new medical practices to the region.
In the 18th century, Syed Ahmed Rizvi Barelvi was a prominent Islamic scholar and reformer who played a significant role in reviving the teachings of Islam in the Indian subcontinent. He established the Ahl-e-Sunnat movement, which aimed to revive and preserve the traditional Islamic practices and beliefs.
During the 19th century, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan Rizvi was a pioneering Muslim philosopher, educator, and social reformer. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of modern education in the Indian subcontinent and founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which later became the Aligarh Muslim University.
In the 20th century, Abul Kalam Azad Rizvi was a renowned Indian scholar, poet, and political leader who served as the first Education Minister of independent India. He made significant contributions to the development of the education system and the promotion of the Urdu language and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rizvi
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizvi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and White (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rizvi 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 Rizvi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.5% · 4,235
- Two or more races4.4% · 210
- White3.8% · 181
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 64
- Black or African American0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rizvi
Rizvi 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
#9,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,322
+1,412 bearers (+73.9%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 4,614 places
2020
#6,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,731
+1,409 bearers (+42.4%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 2,914 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,370 | 1,910 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,756 | 3,322 | 1.13 | +1,412 bearers (+73.9%) | Up 4,614 places |
| 2020 | #6,842 | 4,731 | 1.58 | +1,409 bearers (+42.4%) | Up 2,914 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 Rizvi 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 | #9,756 | #6,842 | 29.9% |
| Count | 3,322 | 4,731 | 42.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.58 | 40.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rizvi bearers went from 3,322 to 4,731 (+42.4% change). The surname moved up 2,914 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,756 to #6,842.
FAQ
Rizvi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rizvi?
Name Census estimates that about 5,425 living Americans carry the surname Rizvi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,181 residents.
How common is Rizvi?
Rizvi ranks #6,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 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 4,731 people with the surname Rizvi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 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 Rizvi.
Has Rizvi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rizvi went from 3,322 recorded bearers to 4,731. That is an increase of 1,409 (+42.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,756 to #6,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Rizvi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizvi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and White (3.8%). 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 Rizvi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (4,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rizvi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%), White (3.8%). 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 Rizvi (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 Rizvi mean?
A surname of Indian and Pakistani origin, derived from the Arabic word "rida," meaning contentment or satisfaction. 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 Rizvi (1.58 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 share the surname Rizvi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.