Find out how popular the last name Shamas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shamas.

Shamas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shamas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shamas in America

Shamas is the 81772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shamas surname appeared 231 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shamas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shamas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shamas

The surname SHAMAS is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the northern regions of the country. The name is derived from the Persian word "shama," which means "candle" or "lamp." It is thought to have been introduced to India during the medieval period when Persian culture had a significant influence on the subcontinent.

One of the earliest known records of the SHAMAS surname can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions individuals with the surname SHAMAS holding various positions within the imperial administration.

The SHAMAS name has also been associated with the Sindhi community, an ethnic group native to the Sindh region of modern-day Pakistan. In Sindhi culture, the name SHAMAS was often given to individuals who worked as lamp-lighters or candle-makers, reflecting the name's literal meaning.

During the British colonial era in India, several notable individuals with the SHAMAS surname emerged. One such figure was Sir Ghulam Hussain Shamas (1853-1939), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council in British India.

Another famous bearer of the SHAMAS name was Maulana Shams-ul-Haq Shamas (1857-1917), a renowned Islamic scholar and poet from the region of Punjab. His works, written in both Persian and Urdu, explored themes of spirituality and devotion.

In more recent history, Anwar Shamas (1923-2017) was a renowned Pakistani artist and calligrapher. His intricate calligraphic works, often incorporating Quranic verses, have been exhibited globally and are considered masterpieces of Islamic art.

Usman Shamas (born 1967) is a contemporary Pakistani author and journalist, known for his novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of identity, belonging, and cultural heritage.

It is worth noting that the SHAMAS surname has also been found in other regions, such as the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, where it may have separate origins or connections to the Persian language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shamas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shamas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shamas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shamas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shamas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shamas, please contact us.

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