2000
#22,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,091
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Tahir
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "pure," "virtuous," or "chaste."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,480 Americans carry the last name Tahir. That puts it at #10,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,493 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tahir 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 Tahir with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,493
Census rank
#10,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,035 bearers of the surname Tahir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tahir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 70.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Black (11.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tahir
The surname TAHIR has its origins in the Arabic language, tracing its roots back to the Middle East and the rise of Islam in the 7th century. The name is derived from the Arabic word 'tahir,' which translates to 'pure' or 'immaculate.' It is believed that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals with a reputation for piety and moral virtue.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname TAHIR can be found in the writings of medieval Islamic scholars and historians. In the 9th century, the Tahirid dynasty, a Persian dynasty of Iranian origin, ruled over parts of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. The dynasty was founded by Tahir ibn Husayn, a prominent military commander who served under the Abbasid Caliphate.
During the medieval period, the surname TAHIR gained prominence among Muslim communities across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. It was often associated with individuals of religious or scholarly backgrounds, as well as those holding positions of authority and influence within Islamic societies.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname TAHIR include:
1. Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Bukhari (810-870), a renowned Islamic scholar and compiler of the revered hadith collection, Sahih al-Bukhari.
2. Tahir al-Baghdadi (980-1037), a celebrated Islamic philosopher and theologian from Baghdad.
3. Tahir ibn Faddl (11th century), a renowned Persian poet and writer during the Seljuk Empire.
4. Tahir ibn al-Husayn (822-892), the founder of the Tahirid dynasty and a distinguished military leader in the service of the Abbasid Caliphate.
5. Tahir Pasha (1592-1659), an Ottoman statesman and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Murad IV.
In addition to its historical significance, the surname TAHIR has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. For example, the city of Tahirabad in modern-day Iran is believed to have been named after a member of the Tahirid dynasty.
While the surname TAHIR has its roots in the Arab world, it has since spread to other regions and cultures through migration, trade, and cultural exchange. Today, individuals bearing this surname can be found in various parts of the world, carrying with them the rich heritage and significance of their ancestral name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tahir
Among Census respondents with the surname Tahir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 70.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Black (11.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tahir 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 Tahir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander70.3% · 2,135
- White13.4% · 408
- Black or African American11.3% · 344
- Two or more races3.7% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tahir
Tahir 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
#14,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
+893 bearers (+81.9%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 7,196 places
2020
#10,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
+1,051 bearers (+53.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 4,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,116 | 1,091 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,920 | 1,984 | 0.67 | +893 bearers (+81.9%) | Up 7,196 places |
| 2020 | #10,121 | 3,035 | 1.02 | +1,051 bearers (+53.0%) | Up 4,799 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 Tahir 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 | #14,920 | #10,121 | 32.2% |
| Count | 1,984 | 3,035 | 53.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 1.02 | 51.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tahir bearers went from 1,984 to 3,035 (+53.0% change). The surname moved up 4,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,920 to #10,121.
FAQ
Tahir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tahir?
Name Census estimates that about 3,480 living Americans carry the surname Tahir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,493 residents.
How common is Tahir?
Tahir ranks #10,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,035 people with the surname Tahir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Tahir.
Has Tahir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tahir went from 1,984 recorded bearers to 3,035. That is an increase of 1,051 (+53.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,920 to #10,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Tahir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tahir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 70.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Black (11.3%). 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 Tahir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (2,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tahir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (70.3%), White (13.4%), Black (11.3%). 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 Tahir (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 Tahir mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "pure," "virtuous," or "chaste." 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 Tahir (1.02 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 Tahir?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.