2010
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Siyam
An Arabic surname derived from the word 'siyam' meaning fasting or abstinence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Siyam. 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 Siyam 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 Siyam 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 Siyam, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.9%) and Hispanic (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siyam
The surname SIYAM has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is believed to have emerged around the 8th or 9th century during the Islamic Golden Age. The name is derived from the Arabic word "siyam," which translates to "fasting" or "abstinence." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who strictly observed religious practices or exhibited exceptional self-discipline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SIYAM can be found in the "Kitab al-Ansab" (Book of Genealogies), a comprehensive work on Arab genealogy compiled by the renowned historian and scholar, al-Sam'ani, in the 11th century. This manuscript provides valuable insights into the origins and distribution of various Arab tribes and lineages, including those bearing the name SIYAM.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 CE, the name SIYAM gained prominence in regions such as Iraq, Syria, and parts of modern-day Iran. Notable figures from this era who carried the surname include Abu Bakr al-Siyam (d. 923 CE), a renowned poet and scholar from Baghdad, and Yahya al-Siyam (d. 1008 CE), a respected Islamic jurist and theologian from Damascus.
As the Islamic empires expanded, the name SIYAM spread across various regions, including the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. In the 12th century, during the Reconquista, the name appeared in records from the Kingdom of Granada, where individuals with the surname SIYAM played significant roles in the cultural and intellectual spheres.
One notable figure from this period was Ibn al-Siyam (1109-1185 CE), a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and authored several influential works on celestial mechanics.
In the 14th century, the name SIYAM gained prominence in the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over Egypt, Syria, and parts of the Levant. Al-Malik al-Siyam (1330-1388 CE), a powerful Mamluk sultan, was renowned for his military campaigns and his patronage of arts and architecture.
As trade and migration patterns evolved, the surname SIYAM gradually spread to other regions, including parts of Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Mir Siyam (1500-1570 CE), a renowned poet and scholar from the Mughal Empire who wrote extensively in Persian and Arabic.
Throughout its rich history, the surname SIYAM has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, poets, rulers, and religious figures, reflecting the cultural and intellectual contributions of those who bore this name across various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siyam
Among Census respondents with the surname Siyam, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.9%) and Hispanic (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Siyam 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 Siyam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.9% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 14
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siyam
Siyam 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
-19 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 18,174 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 Siyam 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 | #129,047 | #147,221 | -14.1% |
| Count | 132 | 113 | -14.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siyam bearers went from 132 to 113 (-14.4% change). The surname moved down 18,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #147,221.
FAQ
Siyam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siyam?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Siyam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Siyam?
Siyam 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 Siyam. 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 Siyam.
Has Siyam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siyam went from 132 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Siyam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siyam, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.9%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Siyam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siyam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.9%), Hispanic (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 Siyam (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 Siyam mean?
An Arabic surname derived from the word 'siyam' meaning fasting or abstinence. 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 Siyam (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 last name Siyam?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Siyam, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.