2000
#27,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Rare Last name
Sharifi
A surname indicating belonging to a noble or honorable family in regions like Iran or Arabic countries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,024 Americans carry the last name Sharifi. That puts it at #15,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharifi 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 Sharifi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,345
Census rank
#15,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,765 bearers of the surname Sharifi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharifi, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (31.3%) and Two or More Races (16.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharifi
The surname Sharifi has its origins in Persia (modern-day Iran) and can be traced back to the 7th century. It is derived from the Persian word "Sharif," which means noble or distinguished. The name was likely bestowed upon individuals who held esteemed positions or were members of prestigious families.
During the Samanid dynasty, which ruled parts of Persia and Central Asia from 819 to 999 CE, the name Sharifi gained prominence. Historical records from this period mention several individuals bearing this surname, including Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Sharifi, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the late 9th century.
In the 11th century, the Sharifi name appeared in a significant work of Persian literature, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) by Ferdowsi. The epic poem recounts the tales of ancient Persian kings and heroes, suggesting that the Sharifi name had attained a certain level of recognition by that time.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Sharifi name dates back to the 12th century, when Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sharifi, a famous Persian poet and philosopher, lived and worked. He was born in Nishapur, a city in northeastern Iran, in 1107 and died in 1181.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Sharifi surname. In the 13th century, Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Sharifi, a Persian scholar and poet, was known for his contributions to the field of Persian literature. He was born in Tabriz, Iran, in 1211 and passed away in 1292.
Another prominent figure was Mir Jamal al-Din Husayn al-Sharifi, a 14th-century Persian poet and mystic from Isfahan, Iran. He was born in 1344 and is best known for his poetic work, "Divān-e Sharifi," which has been widely studied and celebrated.
In the 16th century, Mirza Muhammad Sharifi Rukna, a Persian calligrapher and poet, gained recognition for his exceptional calligraphic skills and poetic works. He was born in Herat, Afghanistan, in 1516 and passed away in 1581.
The Sharifi name has also been associated with notable locations and place names throughout history. For instance, the city of Sharifabad in Iran was named after a member of the Sharifi family who played a significant role in its establishment and development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharifi
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharifi, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (31.3%) and Two or More Races (16.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharifi 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 Sharifi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.5% · 874
- Asian and Pacific Islander31.3% · 553
- Two or more races16.1% · 284
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 46
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharifi
Sharifi 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
#21,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,207
+393 bearers (+48.3%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Up 6,193 places
2020
#15,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,765
+558 bearers (+46.2%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 5,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,802 | 814 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,609 | 1,207 | 0.41 | +393 bearers (+48.3%) | Up 6,193 places |
| 2020 | #15,885 | 1,765 | 0.59 | +558 bearers (+46.2%) | Up 5,724 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 Sharifi 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 | #21,609 | #15,885 | 26.5% |
| Count | 1,207 | 1,765 | 46.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.59 | 44.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharifi bearers went from 1,207 to 1,765 (+46.2% change). The surname moved up 5,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,609 to #15,885.
FAQ
Sharifi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharifi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,024 living Americans carry the surname Sharifi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,345 residents.
How common is Sharifi?
Sharifi ranks #15,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,765 people with the surname Sharifi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sharifi.
Has Sharifi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharifi went from 1,207 recorded bearers to 1,765. That is an increase of 558 (+46.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,609 to #15,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharifi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharifi, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (31.3%) and Two or More Races (16.1%). 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 Sharifi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (874 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharifi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (31.3%), Two or More Races (16.1%). 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 Sharifi (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 Sharifi mean?
A surname indicating belonging to a noble or honorable family in regions like Iran or Arabic countries. 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 Sharifi (0.59 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 surname Sharifi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.