2000
#9,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Shabazz
Of Arabic origin, referring to a majestic or awe-inspiring person, or one who is held in high esteem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,640 Americans carry the last name Shabazz. That puts it at #7,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,869 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shabazz 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
4.6K
1 in 73,869
Census rank
#7,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,046 bearers of the surname Shabazz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shabazz, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shabazz
Among Census respondents with the surname Shabazz, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shabazz 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 Shabazz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.5% · 3,417
- Two or more races6.2% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 225
- White3.0% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shabazz
Shabazz 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
#8,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,963
+907 bearers (+29.7%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 1,408 places
2020
#7,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,046
+83 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 488 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,761 | 3,056 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,353 | 3,963 | 1.34 | +907 bearers (+29.7%) | Up 1,408 places |
| 2020 | #7,865 | 4,046 | 1.35 | +83 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 488 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 Shabazz 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 | #8,353 | #7,865 | 5.8% |
| Count | 3,963 | 4,046 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.35 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shabazz bearers went from 3,963 to 4,046 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 488 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,353 to #7,865.
FAQ
Shabazz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shabazz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,640 living Americans carry the surname Shabazz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,869 residents.
How common is Shabazz?
Shabazz ranks #7,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,046 people with the surname Shabazz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shabazz.
Has Shabazz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shabazz went from 3,963 recorded bearers to 4,046. That is an increase of 83 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,353 to #7,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Shabazz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shabazz, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Shabazz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (3,417 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shabazz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.5%), Two or More Races (6.2%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Shabazz (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 Shabazz mean?
Of Arabic origin, referring to a majestic or awe-inspiring person, or one who is held in high esteem. 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 Shabazz (1.35 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 are called Shabazz?
You can see how many people are called Shabazz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.