2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tajik
An ethnic surname referring to a person from Tajikistan or of Tajik descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 217 Americans carry the last name Tajik. That puts it at #101,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,579,513 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tajik 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
217
1 in 1,579,513
Census rank
#101,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
189
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 189 bearers of the surname Tajik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 101718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tajik, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.6%) and Two or More Races (14.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tajik
The surname Tajik originated in Central Asia, particularly in present-day Tajikistan and surrounding regions. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when the people inhabiting these areas were known as Tajiks or Persians.
The name likely derives from the Persian word "Tazik," which referred to the Iranian peoples who settled in Central Asia after the Arab conquests of the 7th century. This term was used to distinguish them from the Turkic and Mongol populations that later arrived in the region.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Tajik can be found in the works of the 11th-century Persian scholar Al-Biruni, who wrote extensively about the peoples and cultures of Central Asia.
By the 13th century, the term Tajik had become more solidified as an ethnic designation, and it appeared in various historical chronicles and traveler's accounts from that period.
In the 14th century, the renowned historian and traveler Ibn Battuta mentioned the Tajiks in his writings, describing them as the inhabitants of the cities and urban centers of Central Asia, distinct from the nomadic Turkic and Mongol tribes.
Over the centuries, the Tajik surname has been associated with several notable figures, including:
1. Sadriddin Ayni (1878-1954), a prominent Tajik writer, educator, and public figure who played a significant role in the development of modern Tajik literature and culture.
2. Boboqul Ghafurov (1909-1977), a Tajik historian and statesman who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan and wrote extensively on the history of Central Asia.
3. Fayzulla Khojaev (1896-1938), a Tajik revolutionary and politician who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in the 1920s.
4. Mirzo Tursunzoda (1911-1977), a Tajik poet, playwright, and political figure, considered one of the founders of modern Tajik literature.
5. Loiq Sher-Ali (1941-2008), a renowned Tajik singer and musician who made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Tajik music.
While the surname Tajik has its roots in Central Asia, it has also been adopted by individuals and families in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with historical ties to the Persian cultural sphere.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tajik
Among Census respondents with the surname Tajik, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.6%) and Two or More Races (14.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tajik 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 Tajik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.4% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.6% · 71
- Two or more races14.8% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 4
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tajik
Tajik 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
#101,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 189
+79 bearers (+71.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 47,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #101,718 | 189 | 0.06 | +79 bearers (+71.8%) | Up 47,677 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 Tajik 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 | #149,395 | #101,718 | 31.9% |
| Count | 110 | 189 | 71.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 58.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tajik bearers went from 110 to 189 (+71.8% change). The surname moved up 47,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #101,718.
FAQ
Tajik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tajik?
Name Census estimates that about 217 living Americans carry the surname Tajik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,579,513 residents.
How common is Tajik?
Tajik ranks #101,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 189 people with the surname Tajik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Tajik.
Has Tajik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tajik went from 110 recorded bearers to 189. That is an increase of 79 (+71.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #101,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Tajik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tajik, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.6%) and Two or More Races (14.8%). 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 Tajik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.4% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tajik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (37.6%), Two or More Races (14.8%). 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 Tajik (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 Tajik mean?
An ethnic surname referring to a person from Tajikistan or of Tajik descent. 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 Tajik (0.06 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 common is the surname Tajik?
See how many people have the surname Tajik on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.