2000
#66,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Bandyopadhyay
A surname indicating a priest who served as a teacher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 643 Americans carry the last name Bandyopadhyay. That puts it at #41,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 533,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bandyopadhyay 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
643
1 in 533,055
Census rank
#41,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
561
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 561 bearers of the surname Bandyopadhyay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bandyopadhyay, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bandyopadhyay
The surname "BANDYOPADHYAY" is a Bengali Hindu name that originated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the regions of West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is derived from the combination of two Sanskrit words: "Bandyo" meaning "respectable" and "Upadhyaya" which refers to a teacher or a scholar.
The name can be traced back to the ancient Hindu caste system, where the Bandyopadhyays belonged to the Brahmin caste, known for their scholarly pursuits and teaching professions. The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 12th century, during the Pala Empire in the Bengal region.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the writings of the Bengali poet and scholar, Jaydev Bandyopadhyay (1170 - 1244 AD), who composed the famous Sanskrit text, Gita Govinda. Another notable figure was Kshetra Mohan Bandyopadhyay (1838 - 1907), a renowned Bengali writer and social reformer.
During the British colonial period in India, several individuals with the surname Bandyopadhyay achieved prominence. Among them was Bipin Chandra Bandyopadhyay (1837 - 1907), a prominent Hindu philosopher and social activist, who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.
In more recent times, Manik Bandyopadhyay (1908 - 1956) was a celebrated Bengali novelist and short story writer, known for his portrayal of rural Bengal and its people. Another famous individual with this surname was Satyajit Ray (1921 - 1992), the legendary Indian filmmaker, who was born as Satyajit Bandyopadhyay and is widely regarded as one of the greatest auteurs in the history of cinema.
Throughout history, the Bandyopadhyay surname has been associated with scholars, writers, philosophers, and intellectuals, reflecting its roots in the Brahmin caste and the tradition of learning and teaching.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bandyopadhyay
Among Census respondents with the surname Bandyopadhyay, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bandyopadhyay 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 Bandyopadhyay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.7% · 537
- White2.0% · 11
- Two or more races1.2% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bandyopadhyay
Bandyopadhyay 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
#53,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 383
+107 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 12,965 places
2020
#41,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 561
+178 bearers (+46.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 12,148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,878 | 276 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,913 | 383 | 0.13 | +107 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 12,965 places |
| 2020 | #41,765 | 561 | 0.19 | +178 bearers (+46.5%) | Up 12,148 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 Bandyopadhyay 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 | #53,913 | #41,765 | 22.5% |
| Count | 383 | 561 | 46.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.19 | 44.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bandyopadhyay bearers went from 383 to 561 (+46.5% change). The surname moved up 12,148 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,913 to #41,765.
FAQ
Bandyopadhyay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bandyopadhyay?
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the surname Bandyopadhyay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 533,055 residents.
How common is Bandyopadhyay?
Bandyopadhyay ranks #41,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 561 people with the surname Bandyopadhyay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Bandyopadhyay.
Has Bandyopadhyay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bandyopadhyay went from 383 recorded bearers to 561. That is an increase of 178 (+46.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #53,913 to #41,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Bandyopadhyay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bandyopadhyay, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) 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 Bandyopadhyay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bandyopadhyay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.7%), White (2.0%), 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 Bandyopadhyay (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 Bandyopadhyay mean?
A surname indicating a priest who served as a teacher. 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 Bandyopadhyay (0.19 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 common is the surname Bandyopadhyay?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Bandyopadhyay on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.