2000
#57,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Shakur
An Arabic surname meaning "thankful" or "grateful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 786 Americans carry the last name Shakur. That puts it at #35,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 436,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shakur 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 Shakur with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
786
1 in 436,074
Census rank
#35,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
685
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 685 bearers of the surname Shakur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakur, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shakur
The surname "SHAKUR" has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the Arabic word "Shukr," which means "gratitude" or "thankfulness." This name is believed to have originated among Arabic-speaking communities in North Africa and the Middle East.
The earliest recorded instances of the name "SHAKUR" can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the early years of Islamic expansion into various regions. It is possible that the name was initially adopted by individuals or families who embraced Islam and wanted to express their gratitude for the new faith.
In the medieval period, the name "SHAKUR" appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly those related to Islamic scholarship and literature. One notable example is the work of the 13th-century scholar and poet Saadi Shirazi, who mentioned individuals with the surname "SHAKUR" in his writings.
As the Islamic empires expanded and trade routes flourished, the name "SHAKUR" likely spread across different regions, including parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and even the Indian subcontinent. This resulted in variations in the spelling and pronunciation of the name, such as "Shakoor" or "Shukoor."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "SHAKUR." One such example is Tupac Amaru Shakur (1971-1996), an influential American rapper, actor, and activist, whose name was inspired by the 18th-century Peruvian revolutionary Tupac Amaru II.
Another prominent figure was Ahmed Shakur (1892-1932), an Egyptian politician and one of the founders of the nationalist Wafd Party, which played a significant role in Egypt's struggle for independence from British rule.
In the realm of literature, the Sudanese writer and scholar Tayeb Salih (1929-2009), whose full name was Tayeb Salih Shakur, is renowned for his novel "Season of Migration to the North," a seminal work in Arabic literature.
The name "SHAKUR" has also been associated with notable figures in the Islamic world, such as Muhammad Shakur (1835-1910), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from India, and Zaynab Shakur (1872-1968), an Egyptian feminist and activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
While the surname "SHAKUR" has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has since been adopted by people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations or historical ties to the Islamic world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakur
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakur, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Shakur 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 Shakur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.3% · 447
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.3% · 91
- Two or more races7.4% · 51
- White6.4% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shakur
Shakur 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
#38,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 576
+247 bearers (+75.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 19,410 places
2020
#35,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 685
+109 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 3,051 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,849 | 329 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,439 | 576 | 0.20 | +247 bearers (+75.1%) | Up 19,410 places |
| 2020 | #35,388 | 685 | 0.23 | +109 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 3,051 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 Shakur 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 | #38,439 | #35,388 | 7.9% |
| Count | 576 | 685 | 18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.23 | 14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shakur bearers went from 576 to 685 (+18.9% change). The surname moved up 3,051 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,439 to #35,388.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shakur
FAQ
Shakur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shakur?
Name Census estimates that about 786 living Americans carry the surname Shakur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 436,074 residents.
How common is Shakur?
Shakur ranks #35,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 685 people with the surname Shakur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Shakur.
Has Shakur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shakur went from 576 recorded bearers to 685. That is an increase of 109 (+18.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #38,439 to #35,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Shakur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakur, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (7.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shakur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.3% (447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shakur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%), Two or More Races (7.4%). 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 Shakur (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 Shakur mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "thankful" or "grateful". 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 Shakur (0.23 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 Shakur?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.