2000
#65,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Rare Last name
Adhikari
A surname denoting a person of authority, such as a governor, minister, or other high-ranking official.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,495 Americans carry the last name Adhikari. That puts it at #4,642 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adhikari 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 Adhikari with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,348
Census rank
#4,642
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,408 bearers of the surname Adhikari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4642nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adhikari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adhikari
The surname "ADHIKARI" has its origins in the Indian subcontinent and can be traced back to ancient times. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Adhikara," which means "authority" or "officer." The name was originally associated with administrative positions and land ownership in various regions of India.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Adhikari can be found in ancient Hindu texts and manuscripts, indicating its use among the ruling and landowning classes. During the medieval period, the Adhikari surname was particularly prominent in the regions of Bengal, Odisha, and parts of southern India.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Adhikari surname can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative manual compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions several individuals bearing the Adhikari surname, suggesting their influential roles in the administration of various regions.
In the 17th century, the Adhikari surname gained further prominence with the rise of the Maratha Empire in western India. Several notable figures from this period bore the Adhikari surname, including Balaji Adhikari (1668-1719), a prominent military commander and administrator under the Maratha ruler Shivaji.
Another notable figure in Indian history with the Adhikari surname was Pandit Iswar Chandra Adhikari (1824-1897), a renowned scholar and educator from Bengal. He played a significant role in the Bengal Renaissance and contributed greatly to the spread of modern education in the region.
During the British colonial period in India, the Adhikari surname was associated with the landed gentry and administrative officials in various parts of the subcontinent. One example is Manmatha Nath Adhikari (1848-1923), a prominent lawyer and political leader from Bengal, who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
In more recent times, the Adhikari surname has been carried by several influential individuals in various fields, such as Govind Ballabh Pant Adhikari (1887-1959), a renowned writer and literary critic from Uttar Pradesh, and Bhim Singh Adhikari (1922-2010), a prominent Nepali politician and activist.
While the Adhikari surname has its roots in India, it is also found in neighboring countries like Nepal, where it is associated with the Brahmin and Chhetri communities. The name has spread across the Indian subcontinent and diaspora communities worldwide, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and historical significance of this ancient surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adhikari
Among Census respondents with the surname Adhikari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Adhikari 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 Adhikari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.9% · 7,181
- White1.3% · 96
- Two or more races0.9% · 69
- Black or African American0.4% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adhikari
Adhikari 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
#11,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,889
+2,606 bearers (+920.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 54,482 places
2020
#4,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,408
+4,519 bearers (+156.4%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Up 6,368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,492 | 283 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,010 | 2,889 | 0.98 | +2,606 bearers (+920.8%) | Up 54,482 places |
| 2020 | #4,642 | 7,408 | 2.48 | +4,519 bearers (+156.4%) | Up 6,368 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 Adhikari 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 | #11,010 | #4,642 | 57.8% |
| Count | 2,889 | 7,408 | 156.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 2.48 | 152.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adhikari bearers went from 2,889 to 7,408 (+156.4% change). The surname moved up 6,368 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,010 to #4,642.
FAQ
Adhikari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adhikari?
Name Census estimates that about 8,495 living Americans carry the surname Adhikari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,348 residents.
How common is Adhikari?
Adhikari ranks #4,642 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,408 people with the surname Adhikari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Adhikari.
Has Adhikari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adhikari went from 2,889 recorded bearers to 7,408. That is an increase of 4,519 (+156.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,010 to #4,642.
What does the Census say about the background of Adhikari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adhikari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Adhikari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (7,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adhikari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.9%), White (1.3%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Adhikari (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 Adhikari mean?
A surname denoting a person of authority, such as a governor, minister, or other high-ranking official. 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 Adhikari (2.48 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 common is the surname Adhikari?
Find out how many people are called Adhikari on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.