Explore the Family Name Alawi

The meaning of Alawi

Muslim: from Arabic ʿalawī, denoting a descendant or follower of Ali, the first imam of the Shiite Muslims. The surname may also be from the related Arabic personal name ʿAlawī ‘sublime, exalted; heavenly’. Compare Alaoui and Alavi.

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

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

The Alawi surname has seen a significant increase in popularity based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, rising from the 105,905th most popular name in the year 2000 to the 68,949th in 2010. This represents an impressive growth of approximately 34.9%. In terms of raw numbers, the count of individuals with the Alawi surname nearly doubled from 156 in 2000 to 285 in 2010, indicating an increase of 82.69%. Proportionally, the surname went from representing 0.06 individuals per 100,000 in 2000 to 0.1 per 100,000 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#105,905#68,94934.9%
Count15628582.69%
Proportion per 100k0.060.166.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Alawi

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals a shift over the decade from 2000 to 2010. There was a marked increase in the proportion of individuals identifying as White, from 62.82% to 75.44%, and Black, from 5.13% to 6.67%. Conversely, there was a decrease among those identifying with two or more races, falling from 26.28% to 8.42%. The percentages of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw a slight increase, while the Hispanic percentage remained relatively stable. No data was reported for individuals identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White62.82%75.44%20.09%
Two or More Races26.28%8.42%-67.96%
Black5.13%6.67%30.02%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%6.32%0%
Hispanic3.21%3.16%-1.56%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%