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

Safie, 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 Safie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Safie in America

Safie is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Safie surname appeared 104 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 Safie.

The history of the last name Safie

The surname SAFIE is believed to have originated in Morocco during the 16th century. It is derived from the Arabic word "safee", meaning "clear" or "pure". The name was likely initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a pure or virtuous character.

In the early days, the name was predominantly found in the city of Fez and surrounding regions of northern Morocco. Variations in spelling included Safi, Safiy, and Safiye. Some of the earliest records of the name appear in local tax registers and property deeds from the 1500s.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ahmed al-Safie, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in Fez in the late 16th century. His poetry and writings on Islamic philosophy and theology were highly influential during his time.

In the 17th century, the name began to spread beyond Morocco, with records showing Safie families settling in neighboring regions of Algeria and Tunisia. During this period, the name was also associated with several notable Sufi mystics and religious leaders.

One such figure was Abdallah al-Safie, a revered Sufi saint who lived in Algiers in the mid-1600s. His teachings and spiritual guidance attracted followers from across North Africa, and his tomb became a popular pilgrimage site.

In the 18th century, the Safie name made its way to Europe, with families bearing the name settling in Spain and France. One notable individual was Ibrahim Safie, a Moroccan-born merchant who established a successful trading business in Marseille, France, in the 1760s.

In the 19th century, the Safie surname gained prominence in the Ottoman Empire, particularly in present-day Turkey and Syria. Ibrahim Safie Pasha, a high-ranking Ottoman official and governor of Damascus in the 1830s, was a prominent figure of this era.

Another notable bearer of the name was Ali Safie, a renowned calligrapher and artist who lived in Istanbul in the late 19th century. His intricate calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces across the Ottoman Empire.

As the Safie name spread globally, it was also adopted by families in other parts of the world, including the Americas and Southeast Asia. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Arab and Islamic cultures of North Africa and the Middle East.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Safie

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

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 Safie 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 Safie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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