2000
#11,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Sharif
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "noble," "highborn," or "distinguished," often indicating ancestral association with the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,056 Americans carry the last name Sharif. That puts it at #6,210 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,597 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharif 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 Sharif with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,597
Census rank
#6,210
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,281 bearers of the surname Sharif in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6210th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharif, the largest self-reported group is Black at 36.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%) and White (24.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharif
The surname Sharif is of Arabic origin, and it can be traced back to the medieval period in the Middle East. The word "sharif" is derived from the Arabic term "sharaf," which means "nobility" or "nobility of descent." The Sharif family name has its roots in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in modern-day Saudi Arabia and the surrounding regions.
In Islamic history, the title "Sharif" was bestowed upon individuals who claimed direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad through his grandson, Hasan ibn Ali. The Sharifs were regarded as members of the elite class and held significant religious and political influence in various parts of the Muslim world.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Sharif name can be found in the works of medieval Arab historians and chroniclers. The Sharif family played a prominent role in the governance of Mecca and Medina during the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from the 8th to the 13th century.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Sharif is Idris I (789-828 CE), the founder of the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco. He was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and established the first Arab dynasty in Morocco. Another prominent figure was Sharif al-Husayn ibn Ali (1856-1931), the leader of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I and the founder of the Hashemite dynasty.
During the medieval period, the Sharif family name was also associated with various Islamic dynasties and principalities across the Middle East and North Africa. For instance, the Sharifs of Mecca held significant influence in the region and were respected for their lineage and religious authority.
Other notable figures with the surname Sharif include Sharif Ali Khan (1823-1887), a prominent Pashtun leader and ruler of the Bahawalpur State in present-day Pakistan, and Sharif Pasha (1828-1887), an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
The Sharif surname has also been found in various historical documents and records, including manuscripts and chronicles from the medieval Islamic world. It is important to note that the spelling of the name may have varied slightly in different regions and time periods, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the areas where it was used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharif
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharif, the largest self-reported group is Black at 36.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%) and White (24.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharif 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 Sharif surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American36.1% · 1,906
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.4% · 1,608
- White24.8% · 1,311
- Two or more races6.5% · 345
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharif
Sharif 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
#8,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,879
+1,395 bearers (+56.2%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 3,102 places
2020
#6,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,281
+1,402 bearers (+36.1%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 2,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,595 | 2,484 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,493 | 3,879 | 1.32 | +1,395 bearers (+56.2%) | Up 3,102 places |
| 2020 | #6,210 | 5,281 | 1.77 | +1,402 bearers (+36.1%) | Up 2,283 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 Sharif 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 | #8,493 | #6,210 | 26.9% |
| Count | 3,879 | 5,281 | 36.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.77 | 33.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharif bearers went from 3,879 to 5,281 (+36.1% change). The surname moved up 2,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,493 to #6,210.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sharif
FAQ
Sharif surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharif?
Name Census estimates that about 6,056 living Americans carry the surname Sharif. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,597 residents.
How common is Sharif?
Sharif ranks #6,210 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,281 people with the surname Sharif. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sharif.
Has Sharif become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharif went from 3,879 recorded bearers to 5,281. That is an increase of 1,402 (+36.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,493 to #6,210.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharif?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharif, the largest self-reported group is Black at 36.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%) and White (24.8%). 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 Sharif in the 2020 Census, accounting for 36.1% (1,906 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharif appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (36.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%), White (24.8%). 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 Sharif (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 Sharif mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "noble," "highborn," or "distinguished," often indicating ancestral association with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 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 Sharif (1.77 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 have the last name Sharif?
See how many people are called Sharif on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.