Find out how popular the last name Zaman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Zaman.

Zaman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Zaman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zaman in America

Zaman is the 8865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zaman surname appeared 3,694 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Zaman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zaman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Zaman

The surname Zaman is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "zaman" which means "time" or "era" in Arabic. This name has been prevalent in the Middle East and parts of South Asia for centuries.

The earliest known instances of the surname Zaman date back to the 7th century CE, during the Islamic Golden Age in the Middle East. It is believed to have been adopted by families who were scholars, philosophers, or intellectuals, as the concept of "time" and its significance was highly valued in Islamic culture and literature.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Zaman can be found in the "Kitab al-Aghani" (Book of Songs), a famous anthology of Arabic poetry and songs compiled in the 9th century CE by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani. The book includes references to several poets and scholars with the surname Zaman.

In the 11th century, the renowned Muslim polymath and philosopher Al-Ghazali, whose full name was Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE), was also known by the honorific title "Zaman" or "Zamaniyya," which means "the marvel of the time."

During the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria (1250-1517 CE), the surname Zaman was particularly prominent among the ruling elite and scholarly circles. One notable figure from this period was Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Zaman (1284-1357 CE), a renowned Shafi'i jurist and scholar.

In the Indian subcontinent, the surname Zaman gained prominence during the Mughal Empire (1526-1857 CE). Several members of the Mughal nobility and courtiers bore the surname Zaman, including Mirza Muhammad Zaman (1604-1669 CE), a renowned poet and calligrapher who served under the Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

Another notable figure was Nawab Mir Qasim Ali Khan Zaman (1735-1778 CE), the last independent Nawab of Bengal, who played a significant role in the struggle against British colonial rule in India.

Throughout history, the surname Zaman has been associated with scholars, intellectuals, and individuals of notable accomplishments, reflecting the meaning and significance of the word "zaman" in Arabic culture and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zaman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Zaman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Zaman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Zaman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Zaman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Zaman, please contact us.

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