2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sherali
A surname of Persian origin meaning "lion" or "brave man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Sherali. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherali 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Sherali in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherali, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.2%) and White (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherali
The surname SHERALI originates from the Persian language and is believed to have originated in regions that are now part of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan. The name can be traced back to the 8th century AD and is thought to be derived from the Persian words "sher" meaning "lion" and "ali" meaning "exalted" or "noble."
One of the earliest known records of the name SHERALI can be found in a collection of Persian poetry from the 10th century, where it is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought in the army of a local ruler. This suggests that the name may have been associated with strength and bravery.
In the 12th century, the name SHERALI appeared in a historical account of the Seljuk Empire, which ruled over parts of modern-day Iran, Turkey, and Central Asia. The account mentions a person named SHERALI who served as a trusted advisor to one of the Seljuk sultans.
During the 16th century, the name SHERALI gained prominence in the Persian-speaking regions of Central Asia, particularly in the territories of modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Several notable individuals with the surname SHERALI were recorded in historical documents from this period, including a renowned poet named SHERALI Naqshbandi (1495-1572) and a skilled calligrapher named SHERALI Bukhari (1520-1595).
In the 19th century, a famous explorer and writer named SHERALI Khan (1825-1892) was born in what is now Afghanistan. He documented his travels through the region and wrote several books that provided valuable insights into the culture and history of Central Asia.
Another notable figure with the surname SHERALI was Mirza SHERALI Qajar (1860-1925), a high-ranking official in the government of Persia (now Iran) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a significant role in modernizing the country's administrative and judicial systems.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherali
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherali, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.2%) and White (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherali 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 Sherali surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.4% · 76
- Two or more races15.2% · 16
- White12.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherali
Sherali 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Sherali 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherali bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Sherali surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherali?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Sherali. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Sherali?
Sherali ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Sherali. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Sherali.
Has Sherali become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherali went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherali?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherali, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.2%) and White (12.4%). 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 Sherali in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherali appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.4%), Two or More Races (15.2%), White (12.4%). 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 Sherali (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 Sherali mean?
A surname of Persian origin meaning "lion" or "brave man". 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 Sherali (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 have the surname Sherali?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.