2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bafna
A surname of Indian origin meaning a trader or businessman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 177 Americans carry the last name Bafna. That puts it at #119,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,936,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bafna 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.
Bearers in the US
177
1 in 1,936,465
Census rank
#119,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
154
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 154 bearers of the surname Bafna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bafna, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.6%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bafna
The surname Bafna originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northwestern region of Rajasthan. It can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries CE, when the region was ruled by various Rajput clans and kingdoms.
The name Bafna is believed to have its roots in the Sanskrit language, with the word "bafna" meaning "weaver" or "cotton trader." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the textile trade, which was a thriving industry in the region during that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bafna surname can be found in the "Nainsi ri Khyat," a historical chronicle written in the 17th century CE by the famous Rajasthani poet and historian, Nainsi. This work mentions several prominent individuals with the Bafna surname, indicating their influential status within the region.
In the 18th century, the Bafna family gained prominence as successful traders and merchants, establishing their presence in major cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Bikaner. Some notable individuals from this period include Rai Bahadur Narottam Das Bafna (1832-1898), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist, and Rai Sahib Kanhaiya Lal Bafna (1878-1952), a prominent industrialist and social reformer.
During the British Raj, several Bafna individuals made significant contributions to various fields. Lala Girdhari Lal Bafna (1860-1932) was a renowned educationist and social activist, while Rai Bahadur Chhotu Ram Bafna (1884-1972) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
In more recent times, Dr. Jaswant Singh Bafna (1918-2005) was a distinguished nuclear physicist who played a crucial role in India's nuclear program, and Gajendra Singh Bafna (1930-2010) was a prominent writer and historian who authored several books on Rajasthani culture and history.
Throughout its history, the Bafna surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, including Baphna, Bafina, and Bafuna. These variations reflect the diverse linguistic influences and dialects present in the region over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bafna
Among Census respondents with the surname Bafna, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.6%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bafna 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 Bafna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.1% · 151
- White0.6% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bafna
Bafna appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#119,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
+41 bearers (+36.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 27,186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #119,015 | 154 | 0.05 | +41 bearers (+36.3%) | Up 27,186 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 Bafna 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 | #146,201 | #119,015 | 18.6% |
| Count | 113 | 154 | 36.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 28.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bafna bearers went from 113 to 154 (+36.3% change). The surname moved up 27,186 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #119,015.
FAQ
Bafna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bafna?
Name Census estimates that about 177 living Americans carry the surname Bafna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,936,465 residents.
How common is Bafna?
Bafna ranks #119,015 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 154 people with the surname Bafna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bafna.
Has Bafna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bafna went from 113 recorded bearers to 154. That is an increase of 41 (+36.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #119,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Bafna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bafna, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.1%. The next largest groups are White (0.6%) and Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Bafna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (151 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bafna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (98.1%), White (0.6%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Bafna (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 Bafna mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning a trader or businessman. 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 Bafna (0.05 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 Americans have the surname Bafna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.