2000
#18,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Aggarwal
A surname of Indian origin referring to a community of traders, merchants, and money-lenders.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,541 Americans carry the last name Aggarwal. That puts it at #8,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aggarwal 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 Aggarwal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,480
Census rank
#8,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,960 bearers of the surname Aggarwal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aggarwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aggarwal
The surname "Aggarwal" originates from the Indian subcontinent and is believed to have its roots in the Sanskrit language. It is derived from the words "agra" meaning "foremost" or "excellent" and "vala" meaning "belonging to". Together, the name signifies "belonging to the excellent or foremost".
The name is predominantly found among the Agarwal community, a prominent mercantile and trading community that historically hailed from the regions of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana in northern India. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century.
One of the earliest known references to the Aggarwal surname is found in the writings of the Mughal Emperor Akbar's court historian, Abul Fazl, who mentioned the Agarwal community in his work, the Akbarnama, in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various trading and business records from the regions of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, reflecting the community's involvement in commerce and trade during that period.
Some notable individuals with the surname Aggarwal throughout history include:
1. Govardhan Aggarwal (1793-1858), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Rajasthan, known for his contributions to education and social welfare.
2. Devi Prasad Aggarwal (1889-1960), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who played an active role in the Indian independence movement.
3. Ramesh Chandra Aggarwal (1901-1975), a renowned Indian mathematician and academic, known for his contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
4. Kamla Aggarwal (1915-2008), a pioneering Indian biochemist and one of the first female scientists to receive the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize.
5. Vinod Khosla (born 1955), an Indian-American businessman and venture capitalist, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures.
The surname Aggarwal has been associated with various place names and older spellings throughout its history, reflecting the community's migrations and settlements across different regions of India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aggarwal
Among Census respondents with the surname Aggarwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Aggarwal 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 Aggarwal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.8% · 3,673
- White3.5% · 137
- Two or more races2.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aggarwal
Aggarwal 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
#12,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,500
+1,137 bearers (+83.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 6,205 places
2020
#8,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,960
+1,460 bearers (+58.4%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 4,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,634 | 1,363 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,429 | 2,500 | 0.85 | +1,137 bearers (+83.4%) | Up 6,205 places |
| 2020 | #8,026 | 3,960 | 1.32 | +1,460 bearers (+58.4%) | Up 4,403 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 Aggarwal 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 | #12,429 | #8,026 | 35.4% |
| Count | 2,500 | 3,960 | 58.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 1.32 | 55.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aggarwal bearers went from 2,500 to 3,960 (+58.4% change). The surname moved up 4,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,429 to #8,026.
FAQ
Aggarwal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aggarwal?
Name Census estimates that about 4,541 living Americans carry the surname Aggarwal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,480 residents.
How common is Aggarwal?
Aggarwal ranks #8,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,960 people with the surname Aggarwal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Aggarwal.
Has Aggarwal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aggarwal went from 2,500 recorded bearers to 3,960. That is an increase of 1,460 (+58.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,429 to #8,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Aggarwal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aggarwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aggarwal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,673 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aggarwal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.8%), White (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Aggarwal (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 Aggarwal mean?
A surname of Indian origin referring to a community of traders, merchants, and money-lenders. 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 Aggarwal (1.32 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 Aggarwal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.