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

Bahadur, 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 Bahadur surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bahadur in America

Bahadur is the 40909th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bahadur surname appeared 533 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 Bahadur.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bahadur 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 Bahadur

The surname BAHADUR has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions of India and Pakistan. It is derived from the Persian word "bahadur," which means "brave" or "courageous." This surname is often associated with individuals of Muslim or Hindu backgrounds who trace their ancestry to the Indo-Persian cultural sphere.

The earliest recorded instances of the BAHADUR surname can be found in historical documents and records from the medieval period, particularly during the reigns of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. These empires ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 13th to the 18th centuries and employed individuals with distinguished military or administrative careers, who were often bestowed honorific titles such as "Bahadur."

One of the earliest known individuals to bear the BAHADUR surname was Sultan Alauddin Khilji Bahadur (1296-1316), a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate renowned for his military conquests and administrative reforms. Another notable figure was Mirza Aziz Koka Bahadur (1542-1624), a prominent noble and military commander during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

In the 18th century, the BAHADUR surname gained further prominence with the rise of the Maratha Empire in western India. Prominent Maratha leaders such as Peshwa Baji Rao I Bahadur (1700-1740) and his son, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao Bahadur (1720-1761), were instrumental in the expansion and consolidation of the Maratha Empire.

During the British colonial period in India, the BAHADUR surname was often used as a title of honor bestowed upon individuals who had distinguished themselves in military or civil service. One such individual was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Bahadur (1817-1898), a renowned Muslim reformer and intellectual who played a significant role in promoting modern education among Muslims in British India.

Another notable figure bearing the BAHADUR surname was Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bahadur (1780-1839), the founder and ruler of the Sikh Empire in the Punjab region. His military campaigns and administrative reforms helped establish a powerful and influential kingdom in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.

In the 20th century, several individuals with the BAHADUR surname made significant contributions in various fields, including politics, literature, and the arts. These include the Indian writer and journalist Krishan Chander Bahadur (1914-1977), known for his works exploring social and political themes, and the Pakistani politician and diplomat Agha Shahi Bahadur (1928-2015), who served as the foreign minister of Pakistan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bahadur

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

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 Bahadur 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 Bahadur 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 Bahadur was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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