2000
#2,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,993
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.45
Uncommon Last name
Hassan
An Arabic surname indicating descent from Hassan, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,789 Americans carry the last name Hassan. That puts it at #1,107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hassan 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 Hassan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,577
Census rank
#1,107
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,210 bearers of the surname Hassan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hassan
The surname HASSAN has its origins in the Arabic language and is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the regions of modern-day Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and other parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The name is derived from the Arabic word "hasan," which means "good" or "handsome."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HASSAN can be found in historical documents from the 7th century AD, during the time of the Islamic expansion across the Middle East and North Africa. The name is believed to have been adopted by individuals who were considered to possess admirable qualities or were deemed to be of noble or virtuous character.
In the 9th century, the HASSAN surname appeared in various manuscripts and records from the Abbasid Caliphate, which was centered in Baghdad, Iraq. One notable bearer of the name was Al-Hassan ibn Ali, a prominent Islamic scholar and theologian who lived from 836 to 923 AD.
During the medieval period, the HASSAN surname spread across the Middle East and North Africa, carried by traders, scholars, and travelers. In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Abu'l-Hassan Ali ibn Ridwan was a renowned physician and philosopher from Egypt who made significant contributions to the field of medicine.
As the Islamic empires expanded, the HASSAN surname found its way to other parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent and parts of Europe. In the 16th century, Noor ud-Din Muhammad Hassan was a famous Sufi saint and poet from Persia (modern-day Iran), who lived from 1516 to 1593.
Another notable bearer of the HASSAN surname was Abd al-Qadir al-Hassan, a Sudanese religious leader and political figure who led an uprising against the British colonial rule in the late 19th century, from 1856 to 1923.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the HASSAN surname was Tawfiq al-Hakim, an Egyptian writer and playwright who is considered one of the pioneers of modern Arabic literature. He lived from 1898 to 1987 and made significant contributions to the literary and cultural landscape of the Arab world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hassan
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hassan 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 Hassan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.5% · 13,564
- White30.3% · 9,448
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.6% · 6,131
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,330
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 678
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hassan
Hassan 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
#1,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,801
+9,808 bearers (+81.8%)
Per 100,000 7.39
Rank movement Up 1,110 places
2020
#1,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,210
+9,409 bearers (+43.2%)
Per 100,000 10.44
Rank movement Up 545 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,762 | 11,993 | 4.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,652 | 21,801 | 7.39 | +9,808 bearers (+81.8%) | Up 1,110 places |
| 2020 | #1,107 | 31,210 | 10.44 | +9,409 bearers (+43.2%) | Up 545 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 Hassan 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 | #1,652 | #1,107 | 33.0% |
| Count | 21,801 | 31,210 | 43.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.39 | 10.44 | 41.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hassan bearers went from 21,801 to 31,210 (+43.2% change). The surname moved up 545 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,652 to #1,107.
FAQ
Hassan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hassan?
Name Census estimates that about 35,789 living Americans carry the surname Hassan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,577 residents.
How common is Hassan?
Hassan ranks #1,107 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,210 people with the surname Hassan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,789), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Hassan.
Has Hassan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hassan went from 21,801 recorded bearers to 31,210. That is an increase of 9,409 (+43.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,652 to #1,107.
What does the Census say about the background of Hassan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassan, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.5%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hassan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.5% (13,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hassan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (43.5%), White (30.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%). 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 Hassan (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 Hassan mean?
An Arabic surname indicating descent from Hassan, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 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 Hassan (10.44 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 share the surname Hassan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.