2000
#4,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Uncommon Last name
Amin
Derived from Arabic, meaning "trustworthy" or "faithful," often indicating a person of integrity or loyalty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,415 Americans carry the last name Amin. That puts it at #2,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Amin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,881
Census rank
#2,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,315 bearers of the surname Amin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.9%. The next largest groups are White (14.2%) and Black (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amin
The surname Amin has its origins in the Arabic language and can be traced back to regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "amin," which means "trustworthy" or "faithful." The name was likely first adopted as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were considered trustworthy or faithful in their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Amin can be found in historical documents from the late 10th century, where it appears in records from the Abbasid Caliphate, a dynasty that ruled a vast empire spanning parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Egypt. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent among scholars, religious leaders, and officials within the caliphate.
In the 12th century, the surname Amin appeared in manuscripts from the Fatimid Caliphate, a Shia Islamic caliphate that ruled over parts of modern-day Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. These manuscripts often mentioned individuals with the surname Amin in positions of authority or as respected members of the community.
As the Arabic-speaking world expanded through conquests and trade, the surname Amin spread to various regions, including the Iberian Peninsula, parts of Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. In these regions, the name sometimes underwent slight variations in spelling or pronunciation, reflecting local linguistic influences.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Amin:
1. Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi (1236-1311), a renowned Persian polymath and philosopher.
2. Ahmad al-Amin (1886-1954), a Lebanese writer and historian known for his works on Arab history and culture.
3. Idi Amin (1925-2003), the controversial former president of Uganda, known for his brutal military dictatorship.
4. Samir Amin (1931-2018), an Egyptian-French Marxist economist and scholar known for his work on dependency theory and globalization.
5. Anwar Amin (1953-present), an Egyptian novelist and short story writer, known for his works exploring social and political issues.
It is worth noting that the surname Amin has also been associated with various place names throughout the Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the geographical spread of the name over centuries. However, the exact origins and earliest recorded instances of these place names are often difficult to pinpoint due to the limitations of historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amin
Among Census respondents with the surname Amin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.9%. The next largest groups are White (14.2%) and Black (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Amin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Amin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander71.9% · 10,294
- White14.2% · 2,036
- Black or African American7.3% · 1,045
- Two or more races4.9% · 701
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 212
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amin
Amin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,137
+3,536 bearers (+46.5%)
Per 100,000 3.78
Rank movement Up 1,084 places
2020
#2,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,315
+3,178 bearers (+28.5%)
Per 100,000 4.79
Rank movement Up 781 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,327 | 7,601 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,243 | 11,137 | 3.78 | +3,536 bearers (+46.5%) | Up 1,084 places |
| 2020 | #2,462 | 14,315 | 4.79 | +3,178 bearers (+28.5%) | Up 781 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Amin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,243 | #2,462 | 24.1% |
| Count | 11,137 | 14,315 | 28.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.78 | 4.79 | 26.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amin bearers went from 11,137 to 14,315 (+28.5% change). The surname moved up 781 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,243 to #2,462.
FAQ
Amin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amin?
Name Census estimates that about 16,415 living Americans carry the surname Amin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,881 residents.
How common is Amin?
Amin ranks #2,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,315 people with the surname Amin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Amin.
Has Amin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amin went from 11,137 recorded bearers to 14,315. That is an increase of 3,178 (+28.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,243 to #2,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Amin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.9%. The next largest groups are White (14.2%) and Black (7.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Amin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (10,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (71.9%), White (14.2%), Black (7.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Amin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Amin mean?
Derived from Arabic, meaning "trustworthy" or "faithful," often indicating a person of integrity or loyalty. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Amin (4.79 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Amin?
Find out how many people have the surname Amin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.