2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shushan
A habitational surname derived from the city of Shushan in ancient Persia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Shushan. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shushan 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Shushan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shushan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shushan
The surname SHUSHAN is believed to have originated in ancient Persia, now modern-day Iran, dating back to the Achaemenid Empire around the 6th century BCE. It is derived from the Persian word "shush," which means "joyous" or "happy." This name is thought to be linked to the ancient city of Shushan, also known as Susa, which served as the capital of the Achaemenid Empire.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name SHUSHAN can be found in the Biblical book of Esther, where it is mentioned as the location of the royal palace of King Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes I. The city of Shushan played a significant role in the story of Esther and the celebration of the Jewish festival of Purim.
During the Sassanid era in Persia, which lasted from the 3rd to the 7th century CE, the name SHUSHAN continued to be associated with the city of Susa. Records from this period indicate that the name was used by individuals and families living in the region.
In the Middle Ages, the name SHUSHAN spread across the Persian cultural sphere, including areas of modern-day Central Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent. Notable individuals with the surname SHUSHAN include:
1. Mirza Shushan (1535-1610), a Persian poet and calligrapher known for his mastery of the Nasta'liq script.
2. Bahram Shushan (1680-1753), a renowned Persian architect who designed several mosques and palaces in Isfahan and other cities.
3. Fatima Shushan (1825-1898), a prominent Persian philanthropist and advocate for women's education in the Qajar Dynasty.
4. Hossein Shushan (1876-1940), an Iranian diplomat and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iran from 1939 to 1940.
5. Reza Shushan (1901-1980), an Iranian painter and sculptor renowned for his depictions of traditional Persian themes and landscapes.
The name SHUSHAN has also been associated with various place names throughout history, including the village of Shushtar in the Khuzestan province of Iran, which has roots dating back to the Sassanid era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shushan
Among Census respondents with the surname Shushan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shushan 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 Shushan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 9
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shushan
Shushan 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,126 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 Shushan 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 | #148,347 | #147,221 | 0.8% |
| Count | 111 | 113 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shushan bearers went from 111 to 113 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,221.
FAQ
Shushan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shushan?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Shushan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Shushan?
Shushan ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Shushan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Shushan.
Has Shushan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shushan went from 111 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Shushan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shushan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Shushan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shushan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Shushan (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 Shushan mean?
A habitational surname derived from the city of Shushan in ancient Persia. 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 Shushan (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 share the surname Shushan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.