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

Balamurugan, 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 Balamurugan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balamurugan in America

Balamurugan is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balamurugan surname appeared 153 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 Balamurugan.

The history of the last name Balamurugan

The surname BALAMURUGAN has its origins in the Tamil language, spoken predominantly in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the neighboring regions. It is a compound name derived from the combination of two Tamil words: "Bala" meaning "strength" or "power," and "Murugan," which is the Tamil name for the Hindu deity Lord Murugan, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

The earliest known references to the name can be traced back to the medieval period in Tamil Nadu, where it was commonly used by members of the Shaivite community, who were devotees of Lord Shiva and his son, Murugan. It was also prevalent among the Tamil warrior clans and chieftains, who sought the blessings and protection of Lord Murugan, revered as the god of war and victory.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BALAMURUGAN can be found in the Tanjore inscriptions from the 9th century CE, which document the existence of a powerful feudal lord named Balamurugan Chola, who ruled over a region in the heart of the Chola kingdom.

During the reign of the Vijayanagar Empire in the 14th to 16th centuries, the name BALAMURUGAN gained further prominence, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such figure was Balamurugan Nayak, a renowned military commander who served under the Vijayanagar rulers and played a crucial role in the empire's expansionist campaigns.

In the later centuries, the name BALAMURUGAN was also adopted by members of the Tamil Brahmin community, who held esteemed positions as scholars, administrators, and advisors to the ruling dynasties of southern India. One notable example is Balamurugan Iyer, a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher who lived in the 17th century and authored several works on Hindu philosophy and literature.

Another prominent figure bearing the surname BALAMURUGAN was Balamurugan Pillai, a revered Tamil scholar and grammarian from the 18th century. His seminal work, "Nannul Virutti," is considered a masterpiece in the study of Tamil grammar and is widely referenced by scholars and linguists to this day.

In more recent times, the name BALAMURUGAN has been carried forward by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, and academics. One such individual was Balamurugan Ramanujam, a renowned Tamil playwright and screenwriter who made significant contributions to the Tamil literary and theatrical landscape in the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balamurugan

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

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 Balamurugan 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.

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

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

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