2000
#3,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.06
Uncommon Last name
Banda
A Zambian surname referring to a tribal leader or ruler, derived from the word "mbanda" meaning "prince."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,944 Americans carry the last name Banda. That puts it at #2,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,229 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Banda 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 Banda with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,229
Census rank
#2,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,776 bearers of the surname Banda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Banda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Banda
The surname Banda is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word 'bandu' meaning a friend or relative. It is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent during the medieval period, particularly in the regions of modern-day Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the Delhi Sultanate. One notable example is the Banda Bahadur, a Sikh warrior and military leader who led a significant uprising against the Mughal Empire in the early 18th century.
In the 16th century, the name Banda was also associated with the Rajput warrior clans of northern India, particularly in the regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Several Rajput rulers and nobles bore the name, including Banda Singh Bahadur, a renowned warrior who fought against the Mughal armies in the 17th century.
As the Indian diaspora spread across the globe, the surname Banda found its way into various regions and countries. In East Africa, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania, the name is prevalent among the Indian communities that settled there during the colonial era.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Banda outside of India can be found in the records of the East India Company, where a merchant named Banda Ram is mentioned as trading in the port city of Surat in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Banda. These include:
1. Banda Singh Bahadur (1670-1716), a Sikh warrior and military leader known for his resistance against the Mughal Empire.
2. Kanthi Banda (1935-2014), an Indian writer and novelist renowned for her works in Telugu literature.
3. Srinivas Banda (born 1968), an Indian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur, known for his contributions to the field of artificial intelligence.
4. Rajeswara Rao Banda (1898-1975), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.
5. Kavi Banda (born 1992), an Indian cricketer who has represented the national team in various formats.
While the surname Banda has its roots in India, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated and settled in different regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Banda
Among Census respondents with the surname Banda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Banda 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 Banda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.6% · 12,498
- White7.4% · 1,096
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 526
- Black or African American3.4% · 501
- Two or more races0.8% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Banda
Banda 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
#2,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,055
+4,101 bearers (+37.4%)
Per 100,000 5.10
Rank movement Up 624 places
2020
#2,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,776
-279 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,033 | 10,954 | 4.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,409 | 15,055 | 5.10 | +4,101 bearers (+37.4%) | Up 624 places |
| 2020 | #2,405 | 14,776 | 4.94 | -279 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 4 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 Banda 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 | #2,409 | #2,405 | 0.2% |
| Count | 15,055 | 14,776 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.10 | 4.94 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Banda bearers went from 15,055 to 14,776 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,409 to #2,405.
FAQ
Banda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Banda?
Name Census estimates that about 16,944 living Americans carry the surname Banda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,229 residents.
How common is Banda?
Banda ranks #2,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,776 people with the surname Banda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Banda.
Has Banda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Banda went from 15,055 recorded bearers to 14,776. That is a decrease of 279 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,409 to #2,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Banda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Banda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Banda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (12,498 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Banda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.6%), White (7.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Banda (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 Banda mean?
A Zambian surname referring to a tribal leader or ruler, derived from the word "mbanda" meaning "prince." 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 Banda (4.94 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 Banda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.