2000
#67,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 275
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Danesh
A Persian surname signifying knowledge, wisdom or scholarship.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 452 Americans carry the last name Danesh. That puts it at #56,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 758,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Danesh 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.
Bearers in the US
452
1 in 758,306
Census rank
#56,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
394
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 394 bearers of the surname Danesh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Danesh, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%) and Two or More Races (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Danesh
The surname "Danesh" is of Persian origin and has its roots in the Middle Persian language, which was spoken in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) from the 3rd century BCE to the 9th century CE. It is derived from the Middle Persian word "dānesh," which means "knowledge" or "wisdom."
The earliest known references to the name can be traced back to the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century CE. During this period, "Danesh" was used as a title or honorific for scholars, philosophers, and learned individuals who possessed vast knowledge and intellectual prowess.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Danesh" can be found in the "Shahnameh," an epic Persian poem written by the celebrated poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century CE. The poem mentions a character named "Daneshvar," which means "knowledgeable" or "wise" in Persian, suggesting the existence of the name "Danesh" during that time.
In the 13th century, a prominent Persian scholar and poet named Shams al-Din Daneshvar lived in Tabriz, in present-day northwestern Iran. He was renowned for his contributions to Persian literature and philosophy, and his name, which translates to "the knowledgeable one of the faith," is a testament to the significance of the "Danesh" name in Persian culture.
During the Safavid Dynasty, which ruled Persia from 1501 to 1736, the name "Danesh" gained further prominence. One notable figure was Mirza Mohammad Danesh, a prominent Persian scholar and poet who lived in the 17th century and is considered one of the masters of the literary genre known as "qasida" (ode).
In the 19th century, a Persian philosopher and mystic named Seyyed Mohammad Danesh Ardestani was born in the city of Ardestan, located in central Iran. He was known for his teachings on Sufism and his contributions to the Persian philosophical tradition.
Throughout history, the name "Danesh" has been associated with intellectual pursuits, scholarship, and the pursuit of knowledge, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of Persia. While the name may have evolved and taken on different spellings or variations over time, its connection to the concept of wisdom and learning has remained a consistent theme.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Danesh
Among Census respondents with the surname Danesh, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%) and Two or More Races (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Danesh 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 Danesh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 300
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.7% · 42
- Two or more races9.6% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Danesh
Danesh 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
#54,864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 375
+100 bearers (+36.4%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 12,249 places
2020
#56,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 394
+19 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 1,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,113 | 275 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,864 | 375 | 0.13 | +100 bearers (+36.4%) | Up 12,249 places |
| 2020 | #56,084 | 394 | 0.13 | +19 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 1,220 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 Danesh 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 | #54,864 | #56,084 | -2.2% |
| Count | 375 | 394 | 5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Danesh bearers went from 375 to 394 (+5.1% change). The surname moved down 1,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,864 to #56,084.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Danesh
FAQ
Danesh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Danesh?
Name Census estimates that about 452 living Americans carry the surname Danesh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 758,306 residents.
How common is Danesh?
Danesh ranks #56,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 394 people with the surname Danesh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Danesh.
Has Danesh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Danesh went from 375 recorded bearers to 394. That is an increase of 19 (+5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #54,864 to #56,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Danesh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Danesh, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%) and Two or More Races (9.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Danesh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Danesh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%), Two or More Races (9.6%). 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 Danesh (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 Danesh mean?
A Persian surname signifying knowledge, wisdom or scholarship. 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 Danesh (0.13 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 Danesh?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Danesh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.