2000
#20,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Shakir
An Arabic surname meaning grateful or appreciative.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,357 Americans carry the last name Shakir. That puts it at #14,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shakir 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 Shakir with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,420
Census rank
#14,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,055 bearers of the surname Shakir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakir, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.1%) and White (22.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shakir
The surname SHAKIR is of Arabic origin, deriving from the root word "shakara" which means "to be grateful" or "to give thanks." This name initially emerged in the Middle East during the early Islamic era, around the 7th century AD.
The name SHAKIR is believed to have originated in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in regions like Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. It was commonly used among Arab tribes and communities in these areas, where it carried a connotation of gratitude and appreciation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SHAKIR can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and historical records from the 9th and 10th centuries. These documents often mentioned individuals with the name SHAKIR, indicating its prevalence during that period.
In the 11th century, the name SHAKIR appeared in the writings of renowned scholars and poets from the Islamic world, such as Ibn Shakir al-Kutubi (1030-1094), a renowned Arabic writer and historian from Baghdad.
As the Islamic civilization expanded, the surname SHAKIR spread across various regions, including North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal), and parts of Central Asia. It was particularly prominent among Muslim communities in these areas.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname SHAKIR, including:
1. Ibn Shakir al-Kutubi (1030-1094), a renowned Arabic writer and historian from Baghdad.
2. Mahmud Shakir (1892-1964), an Egyptian scholar and writer who made significant contributions to Arabic literature and language studies.
3. Muhammad Shakir (1886-1958), a Pakistani Islamic scholar and writer who played a pivotal role in the Pakistan movement.
4. Shakir Hassan Al Said (born 1964), a prominent Omani author, poet, and literary critic.
5. Shakir Shakir (born 1986), an Iraqi football player who represented the Iraqi national team.
The surname SHAKIR has also been associated with various place names and locations, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where it has been used as a toponym (a name derived from a place). For example, the town of Shakir in Yemen and the village of Shakir in Lebanon are believed to have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname SHAKIR.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakir
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakir, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.1%) and White (22.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shakir 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 Shakir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American41.5% · 852
- Asian and Pacific Islander28.1% · 578
- White22.8% · 468
- Two or more races4.9% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shakir
Shakir 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
#18,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,513
+344 bearers (+29.4%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Up 2,643 places
2020
#14,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,055
+542 bearers (+35.8%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,960 | 1,169 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,317 | 1,513 | 0.51 | +344 bearers (+29.4%) | Up 2,643 places |
| 2020 | #14,034 | 2,055 | 0.69 | +542 bearers (+35.8%) | Up 4,283 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 Shakir 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 | #18,317 | #14,034 | 23.4% |
| Count | 1,513 | 2,055 | 35.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.69 | 34.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shakir bearers went from 1,513 to 2,055 (+35.8% change). The surname moved up 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,317 to #14,034.
FAQ
Shakir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shakir?
Name Census estimates that about 2,357 living Americans carry the surname Shakir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,420 residents.
How common is Shakir?
Shakir ranks #14,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,055 people with the surname Shakir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,357), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Shakir.
Has Shakir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shakir went from 1,513 recorded bearers to 2,055. That is an increase of 542 (+35.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,317 to #14,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Shakir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakir, the largest self-reported group is Black at 41.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.1%) and White (22.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shakir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.5% (852 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shakir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (41.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (28.1%), White (22.8%). 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 Shakir (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 Shakir mean?
An Arabic surname meaning grateful or appreciative. 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 Shakir (0.69 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 Shakir?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.