2000
#11,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,504
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Uncommon Last name
Agarwal
A surname of Indian origin referring to a community of agricultural, mercantile, or banking workers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,489 Americans carry the last name Agarwal. That puts it at #3,787 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Agarwal 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 Agarwal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,678
Census rank
#3,787
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,147 bearers of the surname Agarwal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3787th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Agarwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Agarwal
The surname Agarwal has its origins in India and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'agaru', which means 'a kind of tree' or 'aloewood'. The name Agarwal is believed to have been initially used to denote people who worked with agaru or aloewood, either as traders or artisans.
The Agarwal community is predominantly found in the northern and western regions of India, particularly in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. The name is also prevalent among the Marwari and Baniya communities, which are traditionally involved in trading and business activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Agarwal can be found in the 'Ain-i-Akbari', a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions the Agarwal community as a prominent trading group in the region.
In the 17th century, the Agarwal community played a significant role in the establishment of the famous Banaras Brocades industry, which involved the production of intricate silk and brocade fabrics. Notable individuals from this period include Shri Lalu Agarwal, a renowned silk weaver and entrepreneur from Varanasi.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Agarwal community expanded their business interests and became influential in various sectors, including banking, textiles, and trade. One prominent figure from this era was Raja Baldev Singh Agarwal (1828-1897), a wealthy banker and philanthropist from Rajasthan.
In more recent times, the Agarwal surname has been associated with several notable personalities. These include Amar Nath Agarwal (1886-1981), a renowned Indian freedom fighter and social reformer; Vinod Agarwal (1939-2004), a prominent industrialist and founder of the Dainik Bhaskar media group; and Arun Agarwal (born 1967), a successful Indian-American business executive and former CEO of Jaipan Industries.
Other notable individuals with the Agarwal surname include Brij Mohan Agarwal (1908-1988), a renowned Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh; Atul Agarwal (born 1956), an accomplished Indian classical singer; and Shiva Agarwal (born 1992), an Indian entrepreneur and co-founder of the mobile application Hike Messenger.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Agarwal
Among Census respondents with the surname Agarwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Agarwal 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 Agarwal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.5% · 8,556
- White3.1% · 280
- Two or more races2.3% · 210
- Black or African American0.4% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Agarwal
Agarwal 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
#6,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,436
+2,932 bearers (+117.1%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Up 5,238 places
2020
#3,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,147
+3,711 bearers (+68.3%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Up 2,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,523 | 2,504 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,285 | 5,436 | 1.84 | +2,932 bearers (+117.1%) | Up 5,238 places |
| 2020 | #3,787 | 9,147 | 3.06 | +3,711 bearers (+68.3%) | Up 2,498 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 Agarwal 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 | #6,285 | #3,787 | 39.7% |
| Count | 5,436 | 9,147 | 68.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 3.06 | 66.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Agarwal bearers went from 5,436 to 9,147 (+68.3% change). The surname moved up 2,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,285 to #3,787.
FAQ
Agarwal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Agarwal?
Name Census estimates that about 10,489 living Americans carry the surname Agarwal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,678 residents.
How common is Agarwal?
Agarwal ranks #3,787 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,147 people with the surname Agarwal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,489), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Agarwal.
Has Agarwal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Agarwal went from 5,436 recorded bearers to 9,147. That is an increase of 3,711 (+68.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,285 to #3,787.
What does the Census say about the background of Agarwal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Agarwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Agarwal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (8,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Agarwal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.5%), White (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Agarwal (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 Agarwal mean?
A surname of Indian origin referring to a community of agricultural, mercantile, or banking workers. 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 Agarwal (3.06 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 Agarwal?
Find out how many people are called Agarwal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.