2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shamsie
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "from Damascus".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Shamsie. 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 Shamsie 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 Shamsie 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 Shamsie, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.2%) and Hispanic (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shamsie
The surname SHAMSIE is of Indo-Persian origin, dating back to the medieval era in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Arabic word "Shams," meaning "sun," and is believed to have been originally used as a descriptive name or a nickname for someone who was associated with the sun or had a radiant personality.
The earliest recorded instances of the SHAMSIE surname can be traced back to the 13th century in parts of present-day Pakistan and northern India. It is likely that the name was initially used by Muslim families who had migrated to the region from Persia or had adopted the Persian language and culture.
In the 16th century, during the reign of the Mughal Empire in South Asia, the SHAMSIE name appeared in several official records and manuscripts, indicating its presence among the nobility and elite classes of the time. One notable figure from this period was Shamsie Khan, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar and played a crucial role in the conquest of Bengal in the late 16th century.
As the years progressed, the SHAMSIE surname spread across various regions of the Indian subcontinent, including present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It was particularly prevalent among Muslim communities but was also adopted by some Hindu families who had close ties with the Persian cultural influence.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the SHAMSIE surname in literary works can be found in the 17th century poetry of Mirza Ghalib, a renowned Urdu and Persian poet from Delhi. Ghalib's verses often referenced his contemporaries, and the name SHAMSIE appeared in several of his writings, suggesting the presence of individuals bearing this surname in the literary circles of that era.
In the 19th century, during the British colonial period in India, the SHAMSIE surname gained further prominence. Shamsie Bahadur, a respected landowner and philanthropist from the Punjab region, was awarded the prestigious title of "Bahadur" (meaning "brave" or "valiant") by the British authorities for his contributions to society.
Another notable figure from this period was Shamsie Fatima, a pioneering educator and social reformer who established one of the earliest girls' schools in the city of Lahore, now part of modern-day Pakistan. Her efforts in promoting female education were widely recognized and celebrated.
As the 20th century unfolded, the SHAMSIE surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including academics, writers, and artists. Kamila Shamsie, a renowned Pakistani novelist and author, is one of the most prominent contemporary figures with this surname. Her literary works, which explore themes of identity, culture, and politics, have received critical acclaim and numerous awards.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shamsie
Among Census respondents with the surname Shamsie, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.2%) and Hispanic (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shamsie 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 Shamsie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.0% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander29.2% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 10
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shamsie
Shamsie 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
+15 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 12,858 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 Shamsie 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 | #154,907 | #142,049 | 8.3% |
| Count | 105 | 120 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shamsie bearers went from 105 to 120 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 12,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,049.
FAQ
Shamsie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shamsie?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Shamsie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Shamsie?
Shamsie 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 Shamsie. 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 Shamsie.
Has Shamsie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shamsie went from 105 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 15 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Shamsie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shamsie, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (29.2%) and Hispanic (8.3%). 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 Shamsie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.0% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shamsie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (29.2%), Hispanic (8.3%). 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 Shamsie (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 Shamsie mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "from Damascus". 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 Shamsie (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 Shamsie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.