Find out how popular the last name Rufai is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rufai.

Rufai, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rufai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rufai in America

Rufai is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rufai surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rufai.

The history of the last name Rufai

The surname RUFAI has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is believed to have emerged during the 7th or 8th century AD, around the time of the Islamic conquests and the spread of Arabic culture and language.

RUFAI is derived from the Arabic word "Rufa'i," which itself is a diminutive form of the name "Rafi." This name is rooted in the Arabic word "rafi'," meaning "exalted" or "elevated." Thus, the surname RUFAI likely originated as a descriptive name, referring to someone who was considered exalted or of high status.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RUFAI can be found in the works of medieval Islamic scholars and historians. For example, the 13th-century historian Ibn Khaldun mentions a prominent family from Baghdad known as the Rufa'iyya, which likely carried the surname RUFAI.

During the medieval period, the RUFAI surname was particularly associated with the Rifa'i Sufi order, a mystical Islamic brotherhood founded by Ahmad ar-Rifa'i in the 12th century. Members of this order, as well as their descendants, often adopted the surname RUFAI as a way to connect themselves to the order's founder.

Notable individuals who bore the surname RUFAI throughout history include:

1. Ahmad ar-Rifa'i (1106-1182), the founder of the Rifa'i Sufi order and a renowned mystic and scholar.
2. Muhammad al-Rufai (d. 1333), a prominent Sufi saint and poet from Baghdad.
3. Ali al-Rufai (d. 1459), a celebrated Islamic scholar and jurist from Cairo.
4. Mustafa al-Rufai (1779-1848), a renowned Ottoman calligrapher and poet.
5. Abdul Qadir al-Rufai (1909-1988), a prominent Iraqi politician and former Prime Minister of Iraq.

The surname RUFAI has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout the Middle East, reflecting the geographic spread of individuals bearing this name. For example, there are villages and towns known as Rufai in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rufai

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rufai.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rufai was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rufai was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rufai, please contact us.

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