Explore the Family Name Haj

The meaning of Haj

Muslim: nickname for a pilgrim to Mecca, from Arabic ḥājj ‘pilgrim, someone who has undertaken the hadj’ (see also Haji), from ḥajj ‘the pilgrimage to Mecca’. Compare Alhaj, Elhaj, and Hajj.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Haj has seen a significant increase over the past decade. In 2000, Haj was ranked 90,652 in terms of popularity and had a count of 189 individuals with that surname. By 2010, however, it had risen to rank 72,332 and the count increased to 269, marking an impressive growth rate of 42.33%. The proportion of people with the Haj surname per 100,000 also grew, rising from 0.07 to 0.09.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#90,652	#72,332	20.21%
Count	189	269	42.33%
Proportion per 100k	0.07	0.09	28.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Haj

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Haj has also undergone some changes according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the Haj surname identified as White (70.37%), followed by those who identified with two or more races (19.58%). However, by 2010, there were considerable shifts in these percentages. The proportion of those identifying as White increased further to 85.50%, while those identifying with two or more races dropped significantly to 2.97%. There was also a noticeable increase in the number of individuals identifying as Hispanic (from 4.76% to 5.95%) and Black (from 0% to 3.35%). The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased from 4.76% to 2.23%. No individuals identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	70.37%	85.5%	21.5%
Hispanic	4.76%	5.95%	25%
Black	0%	3.35%	0%
Two or More Races	19.58%	2.97%	-84.83%
Asian/Pacific Islander	4.76%	2.23%	-53.15%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%