2000
#93,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Shakeel
A surname of Arabic origin meaning handsome or attractive.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 720 Americans carry the last name Shakeel. That puts it at #38,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 476,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shakeel 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 Shakeel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
720
1 in 476,048
Census rank
#38,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
628
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 628 bearers of the surname Shakeel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakeel, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shakeel
The surname Shakeel has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "shakil", which means "beautiful" or "handsome". This name is predominantly found in regions with significant Muslim populations, particularly in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shakeel can be traced back to the 7th century, during the early Islamic era. It is believed that some of the first individuals to bear this name were poets or scholars who were renowned for their literary talents and physical attractiveness.
One of the earliest known references to the name Shakeel is found in the historical chronicles of the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled a vast empire stretching from present-day Iran to Morocco. These records mention a renowned poet and scholar named Shakeel al-Baghdadi, who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century and was celebrated for his eloquence and literary contributions.
In the Indian subcontinent, the name Shakeel gained prominence during the Mughal Empire, which ruled over a significant portion of the region from the 16th to the 19th century. Several notable individuals with the surname Shakeel held important positions within the Mughal court and bureaucracy, including Shakeel Khan, a prominent military commander who served under Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century.
Another notable figure in Indian history was Shakeel Ahmed Khan, a Nawab (ruler) of the princely state of Rampur in the early 19th century. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his efforts to modernize and develop his kingdom.
In more recent times, the name Shakeel has been associated with several prominent individuals in various fields, such as Shakeel Badayuni (1528-1615), a renowned Sufi poet and mystic from the Mughal era, and Shakeel Hossain (1917-1988), a celebrated Bangladeshi writer and journalist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
Other notable individuals with the surname Shakeel include Shakeel Qadir, a former Pakistani cricketer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and Shakeel Ahmed, an Indian politician and former member of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian parliament).
While the surname Shakeel has its roots in the Arabic language, it has been adopted and embraced by various cultures and communities over the centuries, reflecting the rich diversity and cultural exchange that has shaped the regions where it is found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakeel
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakeel, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shakeel 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 Shakeel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.7% · 551
- White5.3% · 33
- Two or more races4.8% · 30
- Black or African American1.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shakeel
Shakeel 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
#51,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
+223 bearers (+121.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 41,725 places
2020
#38,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 628
+222 bearers (+54.7%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 13,271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,006 | 183 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,281 | 406 | 0.14 | +223 bearers (+121.9%) | Up 41,725 places |
| 2020 | #38,010 | 628 | 0.21 | +222 bearers (+54.7%) | Up 13,271 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 Shakeel 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 | #51,281 | #38,010 | 25.9% |
| Count | 406 | 628 | 54.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.21 | 50.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shakeel bearers went from 406 to 628 (+54.7% change). The surname moved up 13,271 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,281 to #38,010.
FAQ
Shakeel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shakeel?
Name Census estimates that about 720 living Americans carry the surname Shakeel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 476,048 residents.
How common is Shakeel?
Shakeel ranks #38,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 628 people with the surname Shakeel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (720), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Shakeel.
Has Shakeel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shakeel went from 406 recorded bearers to 628. That is an increase of 222 (+54.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #51,281 to #38,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Shakeel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakeel, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Shakeel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (551 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shakeel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.7%), White (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Shakeel (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 Shakeel mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning handsome or attractive. 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 Shakeel (0.21 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 common is the surname Shakeel?
You can see how common the surname Shakeel is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.