Find out how popular the last name Shia is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shia.

Shia, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shia in America

Shia is the 70645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shia surname appeared 277 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shia to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shia

The surname Shia has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in areas of modern-day Iran and Iraq. It is derived from the Arabic word "Shia," which refers to a branch of Islam known as Shia Islam. The name is believed to have emerged in the 7th century AD, during the early years of the Islamic faith.

In ancient Arabic texts and manuscripts, the term "Shia" was used to refer to the followers of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad. These early adherents of Ali's teachings and leadership came to be known as the Shia, forming one of the two major branches of Islam, alongside the Sunni branch.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Shia can be found in historical records and genealogical documents from the medieval period in the Middle East. One notable individual bearing this surname was Shia al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi, a renowned Persian philosopher and mystic who lived from 1154 to 1191 AD.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Shia has been associated with various prominent figures and scholars from the Islamic world. One such individual was Shia al-Din Ali Yazdi, a 15th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of Islamic science.

Another individual of note was Shia al-Din Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, a renowned Islamic jurist and scholar who lived from 767 to 820 AD and founded the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, one of the four major Sunni schools of law.

In more recent history, the surname Shia has been carried by individuals such as Shia LaBeouf, an American actor born in 1986, and Shia Haghighi, an Iranian film director born in 1974.

While the surname Shia has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shia

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shia.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shia was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shia has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shia was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shia, please contact us.

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