Explore the Family Name Wahab

The meaning of Wahab

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic wahhāb ‘giver’. Al-Wahhāb ‘the All-Giver’ is one of the names of Allah (Koran 38:35), giving rise to the compound name ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, ʿAbdul-Wahhāb (see Abdelwahab and Abdulwahab). Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Abdul, Amin, Mohammed, Abdool, Abdullah, Hussein, Khalid, Nasrin, Salim, Abdul Hamid, Ahmad, Bassem.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Wahab has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it was ranked 30,970th most common name in the country, but by 2010, it had risen to 24,237th. This represents an increase of approximately 21.74%. With regards to the count, there were about 709 people with the surname Wahab in 2000, increasing to 1,035 by 2010 - a significant increase of nearly 46%. The proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 people also increased from 0.26 to 0.35, a change of around 34.62%.

20002010Change
Rank#30,970#24,23721.74%
Count7091,03545.98%
Proportion per 100k0.260.3534.62%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wahab

When considering ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that Wahab is a name associated with various ethnic identities. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a rise in the percentage of those identifying as Asian or Pacific Islander from 24.96% to 31.88%, and Hispanic from 3.10% to 4.06%. The percentage of individuals identifying as Black also saw a moderate increase from 8.46% to 9.57%. However, the number of individuals identifying as belonging to two or more races decreased significantly by approximately 41%, going down from 20.45% to 12.08%. The percentage of individuals identifying as White also slightly decreased from 43.02% to 41.84%. For the first time in 2010, a small percentage (0.58%) identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White43.02%41.84%-2.74%
Asian/Pacific Islander24.96%31.88%27.72%
Two or More Races20.45%12.08%-40.93%
Black8.46%9.57%13.12%
Hispanic3.1%4.06%30.97%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.58%0%