2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shamsian
An Iranian surname derived from the Persian word "shams" meaning sun.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Shamsian. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shamsian 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Shamsian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shamsian, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shamsian
The surname SHAMSIAN is of Persian origin, tracing its roots back to ancient Persia, present-day Iran. It is derived from the Persian word "shams," which means "sun." The name likely originated in the regions around the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz during the Safavid era, which spanned from the 16th to the 18th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SHAMSIAN can be found in the writings of renowned Persian poet Saadi Shirazi, who lived during the 13th century. He mentioned a person with the name "Shamsuddin" in one of his works, which could potentially be a precursor to the modern surname SHAMSIAN.
The name SHAMSIAN gained prominence during the Qajar dynasty, which ruled Persia from 1789 to 1925. Historical records from this period show several individuals bearing the SHAMSIAN surname, some of whom held influential positions within the royal court.
One notable figure was Mirza Mohammad Khan Shamsian, a prominent statesman and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Persia from 1858 to 1859. He played a crucial role in negotiating treaties with European powers and promoting modernization efforts within the country.
Another prominent SHAMSIAN was Hossein Qoli Khan Shamsian, a military commander who lived in the late 18th century. He was a key figure in the Qajar army and played a significant role in several battles against neighboring powers.
During the 19th century, the SHAMSIAN surname spread beyond the borders of Persia, with individuals bearing the name migrating to neighboring regions such as the Caucasus and Central Asia. Some notable figures from this period include Mirza Shamsian, a renowned poet and scholar from the city of Tabriz, who lived in the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, the SHAMSIAN name continued to be associated with influential individuals in various fields. One such figure was Nasser Shamsian, a prominent Iranian architect who designed several notable buildings in Tehran and other cities. He was born in 1926 and played a significant role in shaping the modern architectural landscape of Iran.
Another notable SHAMSIAN was Fereydoun Shamsian, a renowned Iranian painter and sculptor who lived from 1930 to 2009. His works were celebrated for their unique blend of traditional Persian art forms and modern techniques, and he was recognized as one of the leading figures in the Iranian contemporary art scene.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shamsian
Among Census respondents with the surname Shamsian, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shamsian 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 Shamsian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 104
- Two or more races9.2% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shamsian
Shamsian 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
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Shamsian 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 | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shamsian bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Shamsian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shamsian?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Shamsian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Shamsian?
Shamsian ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Shamsian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shamsian.
Has Shamsian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shamsian went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Shamsian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shamsian, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Shamsian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shamsian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (9.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Shamsian (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 Shamsian mean?
An Iranian surname derived from the Persian word "shams" meaning sun. 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 Shamsian (0.04 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 people share the surname Shamsian?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.