2010
#83,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Sharmin
A surname indicating one's origins or descent from nobility or royalty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 529 Americans carry the last name Sharmin. That puts it at #49,315 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 647,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharmin 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 Sharmin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
529
1 in 647,929
Census rank
#49,315
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
461
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 461 bearers of the surname Sharmin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49315th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharmin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharmin
The surname SHARMIN has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the Bengal region which is now part of modern-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. The name is thought to have derived from the Persian word "sharm," meaning modesty or bashfulness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the Mughal Empire's official records and documents. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Sharmeen" or "Sharmeen Khan," indicating a possible connection to the ruling elite or nobility.
In the 18th century, the SHARMIN name gained prominence among the affluent merchant class and landowners in the Bengal region. This was a time of significant cultural and economic exchange between the subcontinent and the rest of the world, facilitated by the British East India Company's trade activities.
One notable figure bearing the SHARMIN name was Mir Sharmin Ali Khan (1722-1789), a prominent landlord and patron of the arts in the city of Murshidabad, which was then the capital of Bengal. His patronage played a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of classical Indian music and literature.
Another prominent figure was Sharmin Bibi (1765-1845), a renowned courtesan and dancer who gained fame in the court of the Nawab of Awadh. Her contributions to the development of Kathak, one of the major classical dance forms of India, are widely recognized.
In the 19th century, the SHARMIN name was also found among the educated and professional classes in Bengal. One such individual was Sharmin Hussain (1812-1887), a renowned scholar and linguist who played a pivotal role in the translation of Sanskrit texts into Bengali and English.
The name SHARMIN has also been associated with literary figures, such as the Bengali poet and writer Sharmin Akhtar (1875-1942), whose works explored themes of social justice and the empowerment of women.
More recently, the SHARMIN name has gained international recognition through individuals like Sharmin Obaid-Chinoy (born 1978), an acclaimed Pakistani filmmaker and activist who became the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award in 2012 for her documentary on honor killings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharmin
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharmin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharmin 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 Sharmin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.4% · 435
- White4.3% · 20
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharmin
Sharmin 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
#49,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 461
+236 bearers (+104.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 34,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #83,541 | 225 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #49,315 | 461 | 0.15 | +236 bearers (+104.9%) | Up 34,226 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 Sharmin 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 | #83,541 | #49,315 | 41.0% |
| Count | 225 | 461 | 104.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.15 | 92.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharmin bearers went from 225 to 461 (+104.9% change). The surname moved up 34,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #83,541 to #49,315.
FAQ
Sharmin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharmin?
Name Census estimates that about 529 living Americans carry the surname Sharmin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 647,929 residents.
How common is Sharmin?
Sharmin ranks #49,315 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 461 people with the surname Sharmin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (529), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Sharmin.
Has Sharmin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharmin went from 225 recorded bearers to 461. That is an increase of 236 (+104.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #83,541 to #49,315.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharmin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharmin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (0.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sharmin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharmin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.4%), White (4.3%), Black (0.7%). 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 Sharmin (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 Sharmin mean?
A surname indicating one's origins or descent from nobility or royalty. 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 Sharmin (0.15 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 Sharmin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.