2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saahir
An occupational surname referring to an enchanter or magician.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Saahir. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saahir 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Saahir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saahir, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saahir
The surname "SAAHIR" has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to regions in the Middle East and North Africa where Arabic is spoken. It is derived from the Arabic word "sahir," which translates to "enchanter" or "magician." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who possessed skills in magic or enchantment.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SAAHIR" can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and historical documents from the 9th to 12th centuries. During this period, the name was predominantly used in regions such as Persia (modern-day Iran), Syria, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Some variations of the spelling include "Sahir," "Saahir," and "Saher."
In the 13th century, the name "SAAHIR" gained prominence when it was associated with a renowned poet and mystic from Baghdad, Saahir al-Din al-Suhrawardi (1154-1191). Al-Suhrawardi was a prominent figure in the Sufi tradition and wrote extensively on the philosophy of Illumination (Ishraq). His works had a significant influence on the intellectual and spiritual landscape of the time.
Another notable individual with the surname "SAAHIR" was Saahir al-Andalusi (1212-1293), a renowned Andalusian poet and astronomer from Seville, Spain. Al-Andalusi made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics, and his poetic works were widely celebrated during the Moorish era in Iberia.
In the 16th century, the name "SAAHIR" appeared in Ottoman records and documents, suggesting its presence in the Turkish Empire. One notable figure from this period was Saahir Efendi (1550-1616), a renowned Ottoman scholar and calligrapher who served as the chief tutor to Sultan Murad III.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Saahir Pasha (1840-1902) was a prominent Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the Ottoman Empire from 1895 to 1897. He played a crucial role in the modernization efforts of the Ottoman state during the Tanzimat era.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the surname "SAAHIR" throughout history, showcasing its rich cultural and linguistic heritage rooted in the Arabic-speaking world and its influence across various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saahir
Among Census respondents with the surname Saahir, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Saahir 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 Saahir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.8% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- White0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saahir
Saahir 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 4,311 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 Saahir 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 | #151,532 | #147,221 | 2.8% |
| Count | 108 | 113 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saahir bearers went from 108 to 113 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 4,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,221.
FAQ
Saahir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saahir?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Saahir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Saahir?
Saahir ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Saahir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Saahir.
Has Saahir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saahir went from 108 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 5 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Saahir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saahir, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saahir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saahir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (85.8%), Hispanic (6.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Saahir (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 Saahir mean?
An occupational surname referring to an enchanter or magician. 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 Saahir (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Saahir?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.