2000
#15,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,738
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Zaidi
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "one who increases" or "one who grows."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,689 Americans carry the last name Zaidi. That puts it at #7,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zaidi 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 Zaidi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,098
Census rank
#7,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,089 bearers of the surname Zaidi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaidi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zaidi
The surname "ZAIDI" originated in Yemen, tracing its roots back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "Zayd," which means "to increase" or "to grow." The name is closely associated with the Zaidi community, a sub-sect of Shia Islam predominantly found in Yemen.
During the early Islamic era, the Zaidi dynasty ruled parts of Yemen for several centuries. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab scholar and historian, Al-Tabari, who chronicled the events of the Zaidi Imamate in Yemen in the 9th century.
The surname Zaidi became more widespread as the Zaidi community expanded and migrated to other parts of the Middle East and Asia. Notable historical figures bearing this surname include Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya bin Al-Husayn (859-911 AD), the founder of the Zaidi state in Yemen, and Al-Mutawakkil Ahmad bin Sulayman (d. 1055 AD), a prominent Zaidi ruler who established the Sulayhid dynasty in Yemen.
In the 12th century, the Zaidi scholar and theologian Al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi (1087-1137 AD) played a significant role in propagating Zaidi teachings and strengthening the community's intellectual foundations. Another renowned figure was Al-Mansur Al-Qasim bin Muhammad (1508-1559 AD), a Zaidi Imam who fought against the Ottoman Empire's attempts to control Yemen.
The surname Zaidi is also closely associated with the city of Saada in northern Yemen, which has been a stronghold of the Zaidi community for centuries. The city's name was often used interchangeably with the surname, and many prominent Zaidi scholars and leaders hailed from this region.
Over time, the surname Zaidi spread beyond Yemen, as members of the community migrated to other parts of the world. Today, individuals bearing this surname can be found in various countries, including India, Pakistan, and parts of East Africa, reflecting the global diaspora of the Zaidi community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zaidi
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaidi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Zaidi 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 Zaidi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.0% · 3,556
- White6.6% · 269
- Two or more races4.3% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 46
- Black or African American1.0% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zaidi
Zaidi 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
#11,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,851
+1,113 bearers (+64.0%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 4,348 places
2020
#7,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,089
+1,238 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 3,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,470 | 1,738 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,122 | 2,851 | 0.97 | +1,113 bearers (+64.0%) | Up 4,348 places |
| 2020 | #7,789 | 4,089 | 1.37 | +1,238 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 3,333 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 Zaidi 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 | #11,122 | #7,789 | 30.0% |
| Count | 2,851 | 4,089 | 43.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 1.37 | 41.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zaidi bearers went from 2,851 to 4,089 (+43.4% change). The surname moved up 3,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,122 to #7,789.
FAQ
Zaidi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zaidi?
Name Census estimates that about 4,689 living Americans carry the surname Zaidi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,098 residents.
How common is Zaidi?
Zaidi ranks #7,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,089 people with the surname Zaidi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,689), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Zaidi.
Has Zaidi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zaidi went from 2,851 recorded bearers to 4,089. That is an increase of 1,238 (+43.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,122 to #7,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Zaidi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zaidi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Zaidi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (3,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zaidi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.0%), White (6.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Zaidi (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 Zaidi mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "one who increases" or "one who grows." 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 Zaidi (1.37 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 Zaidi?
Want to know how many people have the surname Zaidi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.