Find out how popular the last name Shiah is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shiah.
An occupational surname referring to someone who sold or made salt.
Shiah, 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 Shiah surname is from the 2010 census data.
Shiah is the 134712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Shiah surname appeared 125 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 Shiah.
We can also compare 2010 data for Shiah 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 134712 | 119644 | 11.85% |
| Count | 125 | 134 | -6.95% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.04 | 0.05 | -22.22% |
The surname Shiah is believed to have originated in India, where it is thought to have derived from the Sanskrit word "shia," which means "lion." The name likely emerged sometime in the medieval period, when it began to be used as a surname by certain families or clans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shiah can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, which contains detailed accounts of the administration and governance of the empire. In this text, there are references to individuals bearing the name Shiah, indicating that it was in use as a surname at that time.
During the 17th century, the name Shiah appears in various historical records and manuscripts from the Indian subcontinent. For example, there are mentions of a prominent scholar and poet named Mirza Shiah Quli Khan, who lived in the court of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and is known for his contributions to Persian literature.
In the 18th century, the name Shiah gained prominence through the exploits of Shiah Khan, a renowned military commander who served under the Maratha Empire. His bravery and tactical skills earned him a place in the annals of Indian history.
Another notable figure with the surname Shiah was Sir Shiah Din, a prominent Indian civil servant and administrator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as the Prime Minister of the princely state of Hyderabad and played a significant role in modernizing the state's administrative system.
Moving into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Khan Bahadur Shiah Husain Khan, a distinguished politician and social reformer from the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand). He was a member of the Legislative Council and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the underprivileged in his community.
Throughout its history, the surname Shiah has been associated with various place names and regions in India, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. It is believed to have originated in areas with a strong Persian or Islamic cultural influence, reflecting the linguistic roots of the name.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shiah.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shiah was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 39.20% | 49 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 59.20% | 74 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 0.00% | 0 |
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 Shiah has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 39.20% | 35.82% | 9.01% |
| Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 59.20% | 60.45% | -2.09% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
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 Shiah was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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