2000
#14,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Anwar
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "brighter" or "more luminous," referring to someone with a radiant personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,573 Americans carry the last name Anwar. That puts it at #7,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anwar 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 Anwar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,952
Census rank
#7,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,988 bearers of the surname Anwar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anwar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anwar
The surname Anwar has its origins rooted in the Arabic language, tracing back to regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It emerged during the medieval period, particularly in areas under Islamic influence and cultural dominance.
Anwar is derived from the Arabic word "anwar," which translates to "lights" or "illuminations." This linguistic origin may have been associated with individuals who were considered enlightened, wise, or bearers of knowledge within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Anwar can be found in historical manuscripts from the 12th century, where it appeared as a reference to scholars and religious figures in regions like present-day Iraq and Syria.
Notable historical figures who bore the surname Anwar include Anwar al-Jundi (1072-1135), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad, renowned for his contributions to the study of Sharia law. Another prominent individual was Anwar ibn Ali al-Hamdani (1009-1072), a celebrated Arab poet and philosopher from Yemen.
In the 13th century, the Anwar surname gained prominence in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions like modern-day Pakistan and northern India. This was likely due to the influence of Persian and Arabic cultures during the Delhi Sultanate period.
One notable example from this era is Anwar Khan Kashmiri (1275-1349), a distinguished military commander and governor who served under the Delhi Sultanate. His exploits and leadership were documented in various historical accounts of the time.
As Islamic empires and cultural influences spread across different regions, the surname Anwar also found its way into parts of Central Asia and the Caucasus region. In the 16th century, Anwar Khwaja (1490-1558), a Sufi mystic and poet from modern-day Uzbekistan, gained recognition for his spiritual writings and teachings.
The surname Anwar has also been associated with various place names and locales throughout history. For instance, the ancient city of Anwar in present-day Iran was once a prominent center of cultural and intellectual activity during the Islamic Golden Age.
Other notable individuals bearing the surname Anwar include Anwar al-Din ibn Shams al-Din (1392-1451), a renowned astronomer and mathematician from Damascus, and Anwar al-Sadat (1918-1981), the former President of Egypt and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in negotiating peace between Egypt and Israel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anwar
Among Census respondents with the surname Anwar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Anwar 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 Anwar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.0% · 3,191
- White10.4% · 416
- Two or more races5.2% · 208
- Black or African American2.8% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anwar
Anwar 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
#10,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
+1,218 bearers (+65.9%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 4,265 places
2020
#7,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,988
+923 bearers (+30.1%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 2,514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,745 | 1,847 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,480 | 3,065 | 1.04 | +1,218 bearers (+65.9%) | Up 4,265 places |
| 2020 | #7,966 | 3,988 | 1.33 | +923 bearers (+30.1%) | Up 2,514 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 Anwar 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 | #10,480 | #7,966 | 24.0% |
| Count | 3,065 | 3,988 | 30.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.33 | 28.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anwar bearers went from 3,065 to 3,988 (+30.1% change). The surname moved up 2,514 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,480 to #7,966.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Anwar
FAQ
Anwar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anwar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,573 living Americans carry the surname Anwar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,952 residents.
How common is Anwar?
Anwar ranks #7,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,988 people with the surname Anwar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Anwar.
Has Anwar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anwar went from 3,065 recorded bearers to 3,988. That is an increase of 923 (+30.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,480 to #7,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Anwar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anwar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Anwar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (3,191 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anwar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.0%), White (10.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Anwar (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 Anwar mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "brighter" or "more luminous," referring to someone with a radiant personality. 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 Anwar (1.33 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 are called Anwar?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Anwar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.