Explore the Family Name Behnam

The meaning of Behnam

Assyrian/Chaldean and Iranian: from the Persian personal name Behnām, which means literally ‘good reputation’ (from beh ‘good’ and nām ‘name, reputation’) and is interpreted as ‘reputable, honorable’. This is the name of a Christian saint from the 4th century, venerated in the Oriental Orthodox Church.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Behnam has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked at 70,052 but by 2010 it had risen to 54,178 - an improvement of over 22%. This rise in rank is further supported by the increase in count, which saw a nearly 46% growth from 261 in 2000 to 381 in 2010. As a result, the proportion of people bearing the surname Behnam per 100,000 individuals also increased by 30%, from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#70,052#54,17822.66%
Count26138145.98%
Proportion per 100k0.10.1330%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Behnam

When looking into the ethnicity associated with the Behnam surname as per the Decennial U.S. Census, changes were observed between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, making up 88.89% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 86.35% in 2010. There was an introduction of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic in 2010 who did not exist in 2000, accounting for 2.10% and 3.67% respectively. Those who identified with two or more races decreased by about 14%, from 8.81% in 2000 to 7.61% in 2010. No individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White88.89%86.35%-2.86%
Two or More Races8.81%7.61%-13.62%
Hispanic0%3.67%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%2.1%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%