2000
#36,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Rare Last name
Usman
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "little lion" or "brave warrior".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,838 Americans carry the last name Usman. That puts it at #12,043 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Usman 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 Usman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,773
Census rank
#12,043
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,475 bearers of the surname Usman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12043rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Usman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and White (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Usman
The surname Usman has its origins in the Arab world, where it was first recorded in the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic name Uthman, which means "wealthy" or "prosperous." This name was popular among the early Muslims, as it was the name of the third Caliph of Islam, Uthman ibn Affan, who ruled from 644 to 656 CE.
In the following centuries, the name Usman spread to various regions of the Muslim world, including Persia, Central Asia, and South Asia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Usman in written records is in the 10th century Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, by the poet Ferdowsi.
The name Usman also has a long history in the Indian subcontinent, where it was brought by Muslim traders, scholars, and warriors during the medieval period. One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Usman in the region was Syed Usman Marwandi, a Sufi saint who lived in the 13th century and is buried in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh.
In the 16th century, the Usman surname gained prominence with the rise of the Mughal Empire in India. One of the most notable individuals with this surname was Mir Usman Ali Khan Bahadur, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar and was awarded the title of "Khan Bahadur" for his bravery in battle.
Another significant figure with the surname Usman was Mir Qasim Usman, a Bengali Muslim who served as the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He played a crucial role in the conflict between the British East India Company and the Nawab of Bengal, which ultimately led to the Battle of Plassey and the establishment of British rule in India.
In more recent history, the surname Usman has been carried by several notable individuals, such as Muhammad Usman Ghani, a Pakistani politician and former Chief Minister of Balochistan, and Usman Khawaja, an Australian cricketer of Pakistani descent who has represented the Australian national team.
Overall, the surname Usman has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, reflecting the spread of Islam and the cultural exchanges that occurred along the trade routes and during periods of conquest and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Usman
Among Census respondents with the surname Usman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and White (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Usman 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 Usman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander67.8% · 1,678
- Black or African American19.2% · 476
- White5.9% · 146
- Two or more races4.5% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Usman
Usman 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
#24,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,024
+438 bearers (+74.7%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 11,683 places
2020
#12,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,475
+1,451 bearers (+141.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 12,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,129 | 586 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,446 | 1,024 | 0.35 | +438 bearers (+74.7%) | Up 11,683 places |
| 2020 | #12,043 | 2,475 | 0.83 | +1,451 bearers (+141.7%) | Up 12,403 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 Usman 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 | #24,446 | #12,043 | 50.7% |
| Count | 1,024 | 2,475 | 141.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.83 | 136.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Usman bearers went from 1,024 to 2,475 (+141.7% change). The surname moved up 12,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,446 to #12,043.
FAQ
Usman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Usman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,838 living Americans carry the surname Usman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,773 residents.
How common is Usman?
Usman ranks #12,043 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,475 people with the surname Usman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,838), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Usman.
Has Usman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Usman went from 1,024 recorded bearers to 2,475. That is an increase of 1,451 (+141.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,446 to #12,043.
What does the Census say about the background of Usman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Usman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and White (5.9%). 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 Usman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (1,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Usman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (67.8%), Black (19.2%), White (5.9%). 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 Usman (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 Usman mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "little lion" or "brave warrior". 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 Usman (0.83 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 surname Usman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.