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

Shafiq, 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 Shafiq surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shafiq in America

Shafiq is the 40313th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shafiq surname appeared 543 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 Shafiq.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shafiq 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 Shafiq

The surname Shafiq originated in the Middle East, specifically in regions where Arabic was the predominant language. It can be traced back to around the 7th century AD, during the early years of the Islamic civilization.

Shafiq is derived from the Arabic word "shafiq," which means "compassionate," "merciful," or "kind." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term or nickname for individuals who exhibited these positive qualities.

In ancient Arabic manuscripts and records, variations of the spelling, such as "Shafeeq" or "Shafik," can be found. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the absence of standardized spelling conventions at the time.

One of the earliest known references to the name Shafiq can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab philosopher and polymath, Al-Kindi (801-873 AD). He mentions an individual named Shafiq al-Baghdadi, a scholar and poet who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Shafiq was Ibn Shafiq (1135-1202 AD), a renowned poet and scholar from Cordoba, Spain, during the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula.

In the 13th century, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist, Shafiq al-Din al-Hilli (1277-1349 AD), made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and authored several influential works.

During the Ottoman Empire, the name Shafiq gained prominence among the ruling elite and intellectual circles. One example is Shafiq Pasha (1794-1864), an Ottoman statesman and military leader who served as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century.

Another notable figure was Shafiq al-Mu'ayyad al-Azdī (1156-1223 AD), a renowned Arab poet and literary critic from present-day Iraq, who was highly acclaimed for his mastery of the Arabic language and poetic style.

While these examples span different periods and regions, they illustrate the rich history and geographical spread of the surname Shafiq within the Arab and Islamic world, highlighting its association with scholarship, literature, and leadership roles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shafiq

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

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

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

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