2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Balasundaram
A Tamil surname denoting someone of a royal or warrior lineage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 228 Americans carry the last name Balasundaram. That puts it at #97,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,503,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balasundaram 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
228
1 in 1,503,309
Census rank
#97,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
199
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 199 bearers of the surname Balasundaram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balasundaram, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balasundaram
The surname Balasundaram originates from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the Tamil-speaking regions of southern India. It can be traced back to at least the 16th century AD. The name is derived from the Tamil words "bala," meaning "strength" or "power," and "sundaram," meaning "beautiful" or "handsome."
Balasundaram was a relatively uncommon surname in ancient times, primarily found among the Tamil Brahmin and Kshatriya communities. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this name appear in inscriptions and palm leaf manuscripts from the Chola and Pandyan dynasties of Tamil Nadu.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Balasundaram Mudaliar, a 17th-century Tamil scholar and poet from the Thanjavur region. He authored several works in Tamil literature, including commentaries on classical Tamil texts.
Another prominent individual was Balasundaram Pillai, a 19th-century Tamil scholar and educator from the Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu). He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and promoting Tamil language and literature.
In the 20th century, Balasundaram Srinivasan (1904-1981) was a renowned Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1961.
Balasundaram Sankaralinga Pillai (1878-1944) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Tamil Nadu. He served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council and was actively involved in the Indian independence movement.
Balasundaram Raghunathan (1935-2012) was a celebrated Indian classical musician and vocalist in the Carnatic tradition. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 2008.
While the surname Balasundaram is more commonly found in Tamil Nadu and neighboring states, it has also spread to other parts of India and the global Tamil diaspora due to migration and geographical mobility over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balasundaram
Among Census respondents with the surname Balasundaram, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Balasundaram 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 Balasundaram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.5% · 188
- White2.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.0% · 4
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balasundaram
Balasundaram 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
#97,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
+75 bearers (+60.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 37,863 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #97,730 | 199 | 0.07 | +75 bearers (+60.5%) | Up 37,863 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 Balasundaram 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 | #135,593 | #97,730 | 27.9% |
| Count | 124 | 199 | 60.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.07 | 66.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balasundaram bearers went from 124 to 199 (+60.5% change). The surname moved up 37,863 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #97,730.
FAQ
Balasundaram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balasundaram?
Name Census estimates that about 228 living Americans carry the surname Balasundaram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,503,309 residents.
How common is Balasundaram?
Balasundaram ranks #97,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 199 people with the surname Balasundaram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Balasundaram.
Has Balasundaram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balasundaram went from 124 recorded bearers to 199. That is an increase of 75 (+60.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #135,593 to #97,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Balasundaram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balasundaram, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Balasundaram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balasundaram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.5%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Balasundaram (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 Balasundaram mean?
A Tamil surname denoting someone of a royal or warrior lineage. 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 Balasundaram (0.07 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 have the last name Balasundaram?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Balasundaram on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.