2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vafai
An Iranian surname derived from the word "vafa" meaning loyalty or faithfulness.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Vafai. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vafai 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Vafai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vafai, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vafai
The surname Vafai has its origins in Persia, now known as Iran, and can be traced back to the 10th century. It is derived from the Persian word "vafa," which means loyalty or faithfulness. The name is believed to have been initially given to individuals who exhibited these traits or were closely associated with someone who did.
During the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736), the Vafai name gained prominence in the region of Isfahan, a major cultural and economic center of the time. Records from this period show several influential families bearing the surname, including merchants, scholars, and high-ranking officials.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Vafai name can be found in the "Tarikh-e Beyhaghi," a historical chronicle written in the 11th century by Abu'l-Fazl Beyhaqi. The text references a certain Vafai who served as a courtier during the reign of the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Shams al-Din Muhammad Vafai established a Sufi order known as the Vafaiyya. This order gained a significant following in parts of Iran and Central Asia, and its influence likely contributed to the further spread and recognition of the Vafai name.
One notable bearer of the Vafai surname was Mirza Salman Vafai (1584-1661), a Persian poet and calligrapher who lived during the Safavid era. His works, including the renowned "Tazkirat al-Shu'ara," have been widely studied and celebrated in the Persian literary tradition.
Another historical figure was Mirza Mohammad Reza Vafai (1810-1885), a prominent Iranian statesman and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Persia during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar.
In the 20th century, the Vafai name gained international recognition through the work of Reza Vafai (1910-1995), an Iranian artist and calligrapher who was celebrated for his contributions to modern Persian calligraphy.
Sadegh Vafai (1923-2008) was a renowned Iranian physician and professor who made significant contributions to the field of hematology and was widely respected for his academic and medical achievements.
Additionally, Nasr Vafai (born 1942) is a notable Iranian painter and sculptor whose works have been exhibited globally and are part of various prestigious collections.
While the Vafai surname has its roots in Persia, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and diaspora communities. However, its history and origins remain closely tied to the rich cultural heritage of Iran and the Persian language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vafai
Among Census respondents with the surname Vafai, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vafai 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 Vafai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 88
- Two or more races9.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vafai
Vafai 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,569 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 Vafai 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 | #157,234 | #148,665 | 5.4% |
| Count | 103 | 111 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vafai bearers went from 103 to 111 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #148,665.
FAQ
Vafai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vafai?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Vafai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Vafai?
Vafai ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Vafai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Vafai.
Has Vafai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vafai went from 103 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Vafai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vafai, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Vafai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vafai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Two or More Races (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Vafai (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 Vafai mean?
An Iranian surname derived from the word "vafa" meaning loyalty or faithfulness. 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 Vafai (0.04 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 Vafai?
Want to know how many people have the surname Vafai? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.