2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Balasubramaniam
A Hindu name meaning lord of noble beings or lord of celestial beings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 591 Americans carry the last name Balasubramaniam. That puts it at #44,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 579,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balasubramaniam 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 Balasubramaniam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
591
1 in 579,957
Census rank
#44,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
515
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 515 bearers of the surname Balasubramaniam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balasubramaniam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balasubramaniam
The surname Balasubramaniam has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a Tamil name that dates back several centuries. The name is derived from the combination of two Sanskrit words, "Bala" meaning strength or power, and "Subramanian" which is a reference to the Hindu deity Lord Murugan, also known as Subramanya or Kartikeya.
Balasubramaniam is considered a revered name within the Tamil Brahmin community. It is believed that individuals bearing this surname may have been associated with temple traditions or held positions of religious significance in ancient times. The earliest known records of this surname can be traced back to inscriptions and manuscripts from the 9th and 10th centuries CE.
One of the earliest known references to this surname is found in the Chola inscriptions, which were stone engravings commissioned by the Chola dynasty that ruled over parts of southern India between the 9th and 13th centuries CE. These inscriptions often mentioned individuals with the surname Balasubramaniam, indicating their prominence within the Tamil society of that era.
The Balasubramaniam surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Balasubramaniam Mudaliar (1857-1936), a prominent Indian politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. Another notable figure was Sir C.P. Balasubramaniam (1891-1966), a distinguished Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the first Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Other notable individuals with this surname include S. Balasubramaniam (1924-2011), a renowned Carnatic musician and composer from Tamil Nadu, and M.G. Balasubramaniam (1924-1996), a respected Indian journalist and editor who worked for various publications, including The Hindu newspaper.
The Balasubramaniam surname has also been associated with various place names in Tamil Nadu, such as Balasubramaniam Nagar, a residential area in Chennai, and Balasubramaniam Koil, a famous temple dedicated to Lord Murugan located in the city of Tirunelveli.
While the surname Balasubramaniam has its roots in Tamil Nadu, it has since spread to other parts of India and the world, carried by individuals of Tamil descent who have migrated to different regions over the centuries. However, the name remains closely tied to its Tamil Brahmin heritage and the cultural traditions of southern India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balasubramaniam
Among Census respondents with the surname Balasubramaniam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Balasubramaniam 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 Balasubramaniam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.5% · 497
- White1.6% · 8
- Two or more races1.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balasubramaniam
Balasubramaniam 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
#64,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 307
+154 bearers (+100.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 42,844 places
2020
#44,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 515
+208 bearers (+67.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 19,898 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,721 | 307 | 0.10 | +154 bearers (+100.7%) | Up 42,844 places |
| 2020 | #44,823 | 515 | 0.17 | +208 bearers (+67.8%) | Up 19,898 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 Balasubramaniam 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 | #64,721 | #44,823 | 30.7% |
| Count | 307 | 515 | 67.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.17 | 72.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balasubramaniam bearers went from 307 to 515 (+67.8% change). The surname moved up 19,898 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,721 to #44,823.
FAQ
Balasubramaniam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balasubramaniam?
Name Census estimates that about 591 living Americans carry the surname Balasubramaniam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 579,957 residents.
How common is Balasubramaniam?
Balasubramaniam ranks #44,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 515 people with the surname Balasubramaniam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Balasubramaniam.
Has Balasubramaniam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balasubramaniam went from 307 recorded bearers to 515. That is an increase of 208 (+67.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #64,721 to #44,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Balasubramaniam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balasubramaniam, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Balasubramaniam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (497 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balasubramaniam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.5%), White (1.6%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Balasubramaniam (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 Balasubramaniam mean?
A Hindu name meaning lord of noble beings or lord of celestial beings. 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 Balasubramaniam (0.17 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 Balasubramaniam?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.