Explore the Family Name Rifai

The meaning of Rifai

Muslim (mainly Indonesia and Syria): from Arabic Rifāʿī, a Sufi order founded by Ahmad Rifa`a al-Kabir. In Egyptian dialect, the word rifāʿī has come to mean ‘snake-charmer’, in allusion to certain alleged Sufi practices.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Rifai has significantly increased from 2000 to 2010. The rank has improved by approximately 25%, moving from 77,222 in 2000 to 57,914 in 2010. Concurrently, the count of this surname has risen by nearly 52% over a decade, from 231 individuals bearing this name in 2000 to 351 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people has also seen growth, increasing by approximately 33.33% over this period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#77,222	#57,914	25%
Count	231	351	51.95%
Proportion per 100k	0.09	0.12	33.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rifai

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows an interesting trend among those carrying the Rifai surname. In 2000, the majority identified as White (81.39%), followed by those who identified with two or more races (13.42%), and a small percentage as Asian/Pacific Islander (3.03%). By 2010, there was a slight increase in those identifying as White (85.75%) and as Asian/Pacific Islander (3.13%). However, there was a significant decrease of about 47% in those identifying with two or more races, dropping to 7.12%. Interestingly, a new group emerged during this period: 3.13% of those with the Rifai surname identified as Hispanic. There were no individuals who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	81.39%	85.75%	5.36%
Two or More Races	13.42%	7.12%	-46.94%
Asian/Pacific Islander	3.03%	3.13%	3.3%
Hispanic	0%	3.13%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%