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

Taher, 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 Taher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Taher in America

Taher is the 30946th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Taher surname appeared 751 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 Taher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Taher 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 Taher

The surname "TAHER" originates from the Arabic word "Tahir" which means "pure" or "virtuous". The name has its roots in the Middle East, specifically in the regions of modern-day Iran, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula. It emerged during the Islamic Golden Age, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 9th century, when a prominent Islamic scholar and mathematician, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, also known as Al-Tahir, made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and algorithms. His work, including the book "Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah," influenced the development of mathematics and laid the foundation for the modern algebraic notation.

During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 CE, the name Taher was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Tahir ibn Husayn, a Persian military leader who founded the Tahirid dynasty in Khorasan (modern-day Afghanistan and parts of Iran) in the early 9th century.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Taher. However, it is possible that the name may have been present among the Muslim populations in parts of Europe during that time period.

In the 12th century, a Sufi mystic and poet named Farid al-Din Attar wrote about a figure named Taher in his epic work, "The Conference of the Birds." This literary reference suggests that the name carried spiritual connotations and was revered in Sufi circles.

Notable individuals with the surname Taher throughout history include:

1. Abul Qasim Taher ibn Husayn (780-844 CE), the founder of the Tahirid dynasty in Khorasan.
2. Mirza Muhammad Taher (1835-1900), an Iranian calligrapher and poet during the Qajar dynasty.
3. Muhammad Taher Kurd Ali (1876-1953), a Syrian historian and writer known for his works on Arab history and culture.
4. Taher Sabry (1938-2018), an Egyptian writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the Arabic literary scene.
5. Taher Elgawhary (born 1954), an Egyptian-American engineer and entrepreneur known for his work in the field of wireless communications.

While the surname Taher has its origins in the Middle East, it has spread globally over the centuries due to migration and cultural exchange. Today, individuals with the surname Taher can be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the rich history and diversity associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Taher

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

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 Taher 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 Taher 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 Taher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!