Find out how popular the last name Alka is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alka.

Alka, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alka in America

Alka is the 95955th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alka surname appeared 190 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alka to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alka

The surname ALKA has its origins in India, believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "alka" meaning "a curl of hair" or "tress". It is thought to have first emerged as a surname in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in areas like Punjab and Haryana, during the medieval period around the 11th or 12th century.

One of the earliest known references to the name ALKA can be found in the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem written in the 12th century, which mentions a character named Alka, a princess from the Chauhan dynasty. This suggests that the name was in use among the nobility and ruling classes of that era.

In the 16th century, the Ain-i-Akbari, a detailed administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, contains records of individuals with the surname ALKA serving in various capacities within the empire. This indicates that the name had spread and gained prominence across different regions and social strata by that time.

Among notable historical figures bearing the surname ALKA, one can mention Alka Prasad, a renowned Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who was born in 1887 and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. Another prominent figure was Alka Saraogi, a pioneering Indian industrialist and philanthropist, who lived from 1919 to 2012 and built a successful business empire.

In the realm of literature, Alka Saravgi, a celebrated Hindi novelist and short story writer, was born in 1942 and is known for her introspective and psychologically nuanced works exploring the complexities of human relationships.

Alka Lamba, born in 1975, is a prominent Indian politician and social activist who has served as a member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly and has been actively involved in various social and women's empowerment initiatives.

The name ALKA has also been associated with several place names in India, such as Alka Nagar, a town in the Uttar Pradesh state, and Alka Village, located in the Haryana state. These place names may have derived from individuals or families bearing the surname ALKA who settled in these areas or played a significant role in their development.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alka

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alka.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alka was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alka has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alka was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alka, please contact us.

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