2000
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,372
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Sultan
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "ruler" or "sovereign," referring to a person of high rank or authority.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,727 Americans carry the last name Sultan. That puts it at #7,737 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sultan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sultan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,510
Census rank
#7,737
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,122 bearers of the surname Sultan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7737th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Black (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sultan
The surname Sultan is derived from the Arabic word "sultan" which means "authority" or "ruler". It originated in the Middle East and Central Asia, where it was used as a title for powerful monarchs and leaders.
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 10th century, when it was used by the Ghaznavid Empire in modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. The name gained prominence during the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over vast territories across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe from the 13th to the 20th century.
One of the most famous Sultans in history was Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566), the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was known for his military campaigns, legal reforms, and patronage of the arts and architecture.
Another notable figure with the surname Sultan was Saladin (1137-1193), the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He is revered for his military victories against the Crusaders and his chivalrous conduct during the Siege of Jerusalem.
In the Indian subcontinent, the surname Sultan was often associated with the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the region from the 16th to the 19th century. One of the most famous Mughal rulers was Akbar the Great (1542-1605), who is renowned for his religious tolerance and administrative reforms.
The name also has a presence in Southeast Asia, where it was adopted by Muslim rulers and aristocrats. One example is Sultan Iskandar Muda (1590-1636), the Sultan of Aceh in modern-day Indonesia, who was known for his military campaigns and patronage of literature and the arts.
In Europe, the surname Sultan is relatively rare, but it can be found in regions with a historical Muslim presence, such as Spain and the Balkans. One notable figure was Moulay Ismail (1672-1727), the Sultan of Morocco, who is remembered for his military campaigns and the construction of the city of Meknes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sultan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Black (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sultan 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 Sultan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander42.2% · 1,738
- White39.6% · 1,632
- Black or African American10.2% · 421
- Two or more races4.2% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sultan
Sultan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,363
+991 bearers (+41.8%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 2,422 places
2020
#7,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,122
+759 bearers (+22.6%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 1,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,070 | 2,372 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,648 | 3,363 | 1.14 | +991 bearers (+41.8%) | Up 2,422 places |
| 2020 | #7,737 | 4,122 | 1.38 | +759 bearers (+22.6%) | Up 1,911 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 Sultan 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 | #9,648 | #7,737 | 19.8% |
| Count | 3,363 | 4,122 | 22.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.38 | 21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sultan bearers went from 3,363 to 4,122 (+22.6% change). The surname moved up 1,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,648 to #7,737.
FAQ
Sultan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sultan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,727 living Americans carry the surname Sultan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,510 residents.
How common is Sultan?
Sultan ranks #7,737 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,122 people with the surname Sultan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sultan.
Has Sultan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sultan went from 3,363 recorded bearers to 4,122. That is an increase of 759 (+22.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,648 to #7,737.
What does the Census say about the background of Sultan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.2%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Black (10.2%). 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 Sultan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.2% (1,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sultan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (42.2%), White (39.6%), Black (10.2%). 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 Sultan (2000, 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 Sultan mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "ruler" or "sovereign," referring to a person of high rank or authority. 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 Sultan (1.38 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 are called Sultan?
Want to know how many people have the last name Sultan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.