Explore the Family Name Afshar

The meaning of Afshar

Iranian and Afghanistani: ethnic name from Afshār, the name of a clan (tribe) of Turkic (Oghuz Turk) origin, which in the 11th or 12th century migrated from the Aral steppes to Iran and from which the Persian Afsharid dynasty (1736–96) originated. The surname may also be based on the name Afshār used as a personal name. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Nader, Amir, Ali, Ahad, Ahmad, Alireza, Firooz, Katayoun, Khalil, Mahmoud, Majid, Maryam.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Afshar in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Afshar" has gained considerable popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 27,028th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had jumped to the 23,675th spot, marking a significant increase of 12.41%. Similarly, the count of individuals with the Afshar surname rose from 843 in 2000 to 1070 in 2010, a growth of 26.93%. This increased the proportion of individuals bearing this surname per 100,000 people from 0.31 to 0.36, indicating an upward trend in its prevalence.

20002010Change
Rank#27,028#23,67512.41%
Count8431,07026.93%
Proportion per 100k0.310.3616.13%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Afshar

The ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals a varied ethnic identity among those with the Afshar surname. The majority identify as White, although there was a slight decrease from 78.29% in 2000 to 76.17% in 2010. Meanwhile, the population identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also saw a slight drop of 4.22%, bringing the percentage down to 3.18% in 2010. However, a notable rise is seen in the category of Two or more races, which increased by 11.62% from 15.66% in 2000 to 17.48% in 2010. Interestingly, the Hispanic population within the Afshar surname group also grew significantly by 35.51% over the decade. No changes were observed for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories, with both groups recording zero counts in both census years.

20002010Change
White78.29%76.17%-2.71%
Two or More Races15.66%17.48%11.62%
Asian/Pacific Islander3.32%3.18%-4.22%
Hispanic2.14%2.9%35.51%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%