2000
#79,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Rare Last name
Shahi
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Persian word "Shah" meaning king or monarch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,216 Americans carry the last name Shahi. That puts it at #24,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 281,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shahi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shahi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 281,870
Census rank
#24,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,060 bearers of the surname Shahi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shahi
The surname SHAHI is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region known as the Indus Valley Civilization, which dates back to around 3300-1300 BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "shah," meaning "king" or "ruler," and is often associated with royalty or nobility.
In ancient times, the SHAHI surname was likely used to denote individuals who held positions of power or authority within their respective communities. Historical records suggest that the name was prevalent among the ruling classes and aristocracy of various kingdoms and empires that flourished in the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHAHI surname can be found in the writings of the ancient Indian grammarian, Panini, who lived around the 4th century BCE. Panini's work, Ashtadhyayi, contains references to the name SHAHI, indicating its use during that time period.
During the medieval era, the SHAHI surname gained prominence in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions ruled by dynasties such as the Mauryas, Guptas, and Palas. Notable figures bearing the SHAHI surname include Mahmud of Ghazni (971-1030 CE), a renowned ruler of the Ghaznavid Empire, and Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316 CE), a Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate.
In the 16th century, the SHAHI surname was also associated with the Mughal Empire, one of the most powerful and influential empires in the Indian subcontinent. Akbar the Great (1542-1605 CE), a renowned Mughal Emperor, had several courtiers and advisors who bore the SHAHI surname.
Other notable individuals with the SHAHI surname include Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869 CE), a celebrated Urdu and Persian poet, and Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1817-1898 CE), a renowned Muslim scholar and social reformer.
Throughout history, the SHAHI surname has been associated with various places and regions within the Indian subcontinent, such as Sindh, Punjab, and Delhi, among others. The name has also been spelled in different ways, including Shahi, Shaa, and Shah, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shahi
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Shahi 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 Shahi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.2% · 871
- White12.3% · 130
- Two or more races4.4% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shahi
Shahi 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
#44,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 478
+254 bearers (+113.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 34,243 places
2020
#24,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,060
+582 bearers (+121.8%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 20,307 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,115 | 224 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #44,872 | 478 | 0.16 | +254 bearers (+113.4%) | Up 34,243 places |
| 2020 | #24,565 | 1,060 | 0.35 | +582 bearers (+121.8%) | Up 20,307 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 Shahi 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 | #44,872 | #24,565 | 45.3% |
| Count | 478 | 1,060 | 121.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.35 | 121.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shahi bearers went from 478 to 1,060 (+121.8% change). The surname moved up 20,307 positions in the national ranking, going from #44,872 to #24,565.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shahi
FAQ
Shahi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shahi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,216 living Americans carry the surname Shahi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 281,870 residents.
How common is Shahi?
Shahi ranks #24,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,060 people with the surname Shahi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Shahi.
Has Shahi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shahi went from 478 recorded bearers to 1,060. That is an increase of 582 (+121.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #44,872 to #24,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Shahi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and Two or More Races (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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shahi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shahi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.2%), White (12.3%), Two or More Races (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 Shahi (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 Shahi mean?
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Persian word "Shah" meaning king or monarch. 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 Shahi (0.35 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 Shahi?
You can see how common the surname Shahi is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.