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

Shabazz, 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 Shabazz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shabazz in America

Shabazz is the 8353rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shabazz surname appeared 3,963 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Shabazz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shabazz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shabazz

The surname "SHABAZZ" is relatively modern, originating in the mid-20th century among African Americans in the United States. It is derived from the Arabic name "Shabbazz," which means "to pause" or "to take a break." The name was popularized by Malcolm X, who adopted it as his surname after joining the Nation of Islam in the 1950s.

Malcolm X, whose birth name was Malcolm Little, was born in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, and died in 1965 in New York City. He was a prominent human rights activist and a leader in the Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim religious movement. His adoption of the surname "Shabazz" was a symbolic gesture, reflecting his rejection of the surname "Little," which he believed was a remnant of slavery.

Another notable figure with the surname "Shabazz" was Betty Shabazz, the wife of Malcolm X. Born Betty Sanders in 1934 in Detroit, Michigan, she married Malcolm X in 1958 and played a significant role in the civil rights movement after her husband's assassination in 1965. She died in 1997.

Attallah Shabazz, one of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz's daughters, was born in 1958 and has been involved in various social and political causes throughout her life. Qubilah Shabazz, another daughter, was born in 1960 and gained notoriety in the 1990s for her involvement in a plot to assassinate Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam.

In addition to the Shabazz family, other notable individuals have adopted the surname, including Kwame Shabazz, a prominent Black Muslim activist in the United States, and Kareem Shabazz, an American author and activist.

While the surname "Shabazz" has its roots in Arabic and Islamic culture, it has become a symbol of Black pride, identity, and resistance among African Americans, particularly those associated with the Nation of Islam or influenced by the teachings of Malcolm X. Its adoption by Malcolm X and subsequent use by his family and followers has imbued the name with historical and cultural significance in the context of the civil rights movement and the struggle for racial equality in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shabazz

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

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 Shabazz 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shabazz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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