2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shahrestani
A surname indicating a person who originates from or lives in the city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Shahrestani. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shahrestani 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Shahrestani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahrestani, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shahrestani
The surname Shahrestani originates from Iran and dates back to the medieval Islamic period. It is derived from the Persian word "shahrestān," which means "city" or "town." The name likely referred to someone who hailed from a particular city or town.
Shahrestani is a relatively uncommon surname, but it has been recorded in various historical documents and manuscripts from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The earliest known reference to this surname can be found in the writings of the renowned Persian scholar and philosopher Al-Shahrestani, who lived from 1086 to 1153 CE.
One of the most notable figures bearing this surname was Abu'l-Fath Muhammad ibn Abdulkarim al-Shahrestani, a prominent Persian scholar and writer who lived in the 12th century. He is best known for his works on Islamic theology and philosophy, including the influential treatise "Kitab al-Milal wa al-Nihal" (Book of Sects and Creeds).
Another individual of note was Qutb al-Din al-Shahrestani, a 13th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and is credited with developing the concept of the sine function.
In the 14th century, there was a famous Persian poet named Hafiz al-Shahrestani, whose works were widely celebrated in the Persianate world. His poetry often explored themes of love, spirituality, and the beauty of nature.
During the 15th century, a notable figure named Ali al-Shahrestani lived in the city of Shiraz, Iran. He was a renowned calligrapher and artist, known for his exquisite manuscript illuminations and calligraphic works.
While the Shahrestani surname is not as common today, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of Iran and the broader Persian-speaking world. The name serves as a reminder of the diverse contributions made by individuals from various cities and towns throughout the region's rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shahrestani
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahrestani, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shahrestani 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 Shahrestani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 80
- Two or more races12.9% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shahrestani
Shahrestani appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 2,642 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 Shahrestani 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 | #152,628 | #155,270 | -1.7% |
| Count | 107 | 101 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shahrestani bearers went from 107 to 101 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 2,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,270.
FAQ
Shahrestani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shahrestani?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Shahrestani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Shahrestani?
Shahrestani ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Shahrestani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Shahrestani.
Has Shahrestani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shahrestani went from 107 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Shahrestani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shahrestani, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and Hispanic (5.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shahrestani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shahrestani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Two or More Races (12.9%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Shahrestani (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 Shahrestani mean?
A surname indicating a person who originates from or lives in the city. 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 Shahrestani (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Shahrestani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.