How common is the surname Shakur?

576 people in the United States had the surname Shakur in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 536,017 Americans. It ranked 38,439th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Shakur?

In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Shakur identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 15% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Shakur?

Tupac Shakur, American rapper and actor (1971–1996), followed by Assata Shakur.

Where is the surname Shakur most common?

Wikidata records people named Shakur in the United States.

Is the surname Shakur getting more or less common?

More common. 329 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 576 in 2010, up 75%.

Is Shakur also a first name?

Yes. Shakur is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Shakur

An Arabic surname, carried by 576 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex S260 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Shakur is more common than 76.3% of them.

Origin

Arabic origin

Borrowed from Arabic شَكُور (šakūr, “thankful, grateful”). This surname is predominantly found in India.

One of 179 Arabic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 576 people named Shakur in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 536,017 Americans. That is up 75% since 2000, when the Census counted 329.

#38,439

rank among US surnames

576

people in 2010

0.2

per 100,000 Americans

+75.1%

change since 2000 (was #57,849)

Who is named Shakur

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Shakur identified as Black (not Hispanic), 15% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 6.9% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Black (not Hispanic) 69%
Asian and Pacific Islander 15%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6.9%
Two or more races 4.9%
White (not Hispanic) 3.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%

Compare: most common surnames among Black Americans.

Famous Shakurs

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Tupac Shakur
American rapper and actor (1971–1996)
Assata Shakur
American activist who was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, 1947–2025
Afeni Shakur
American political activist (1947–2016)
Mustafa Shakur
American basketball player (born 1984)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Shakur

Shakur has the Soundex code S260, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S260.

Other Arabic surnames

All 179 Arabic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Shakur come from?: Borrowed from Arabic شَكُور (šakūr, “thankful, grateful”). This surname is predominantly found in India.
How common is the surname Shakur?: 576 people in the United States had the surname Shakur in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 536,017 Americans. It ranked 38,439th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Shakur?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Shakur identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 15% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Shakur?: Tupac Shakur, American rapper and actor (1971–1996), followed by Assata Shakur.
Where is the surname Shakur most common?: Wikidata records people named Shakur in the United States.
Is the surname Shakur getting more or less common?: More common. 329 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 576 in 2010, up 75%.
Is Shakur also a first name?: Yes. Shakur is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.