2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Baskaran
A Hindu surname derived from the Tamil words "Baskar" meaning Lord Shiva and "an" meaning person or devotee.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 750 Americans carry the last name Baskaran. That puts it at #36,772 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 457,006 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baskaran 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 Baskaran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
750
1 in 457,006
Census rank
#36,772
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
654
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 654 bearers of the surname Baskaran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36772nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskaran, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baskaran
The surname BASKARAN originated in India and is a common Tamil name found predominantly in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Pondicherry. It is derived from the Tamil words "Baskar" meaning "Lord" and "an" meaning "grace" or "blessing". The name refers to a person who is blessed by the Lord or is full of grace.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to ancient Tamil literature and inscriptions from the 6th century CE, such as the Sangam literature and the rock inscriptions of the Pallava dynasty. The name was also found in the records of the Chola and Pandya kingdoms, two prominent Tamil empires that ruled between the 9th and 13th centuries CE.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname BASKARAN was Baskaran Ravi, a renowned Tamil scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century CE during the reign of the Chola king Aditya I. His works, including the epic poem "Silappadikaram", are considered masterpieces of Tamil literature.
Another notable figure was Baskaran Muthuswamy, a 16th-century Tamil philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on Saiva Siddhanta, a prominent school of Hindu philosophy. His works, such as "Sivagnana Siddhi", had a significant impact on the development of Tamil religious thought.
In the 18th century, Baskaran Sundara Mudaliar was a prominent Tamil scholar and author who wrote several works on Tamil grammar, literature, and philosophy. He is best known for his commentary on the ancient Tamil grammatical treatise "Nannul".
During the 19th century, Baskaran Pillai was a renowned Tamil scholar and social reformer who campaigned for the abolition of certain practices like sati (widow immolation) and the promotion of women's education. He was also a prolific writer and published several books on Tamil language and culture.
In more recent times, Baskaran Thanikaimoni was a renowned Indian mathematician and statistician who made significant contributions to the fields of probability theory and stochastic processes. He was born in 1923 and received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.
The surname BASKARAN has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of the Tamil people and has been associated with scholars, writers, philosophers, and intellectuals throughout history. It continues to be a prominent surname in Tamil communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baskaran
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskaran, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Baskaran 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 Baskaran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.8% · 620
- Two or more races2.1% · 14
- White2.0% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baskaran
Baskaran 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
#59,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 339
+220 bearers (+184.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 71,763 places
2020
#36,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 654
+315 bearers (+92.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 22,831 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,603 | 339 | 0.11 | +220 bearers (+184.9%) | Up 71,763 places |
| 2020 | #36,772 | 654 | 0.22 | +315 bearers (+92.9%) | Up 22,831 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 Baskaran 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 | #59,603 | #36,772 | 38.3% |
| Count | 339 | 654 | 92.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.22 | 98.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baskaran bearers went from 339 to 654 (+92.9% change). The surname moved up 22,831 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,603 to #36,772.
FAQ
Baskaran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baskaran?
Name Census estimates that about 750 living Americans carry the surname Baskaran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 457,006 residents.
How common is Baskaran?
Baskaran ranks #36,772 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 654 people with the surname Baskaran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (750), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Baskaran.
Has Baskaran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baskaran went from 339 recorded bearers to 654. That is an increase of 315 (+92.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #59,603 to #36,772.
What does the Census say about the background of Baskaran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskaran, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (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 Baskaran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (620 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baskaran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.8%), Two or More Races (2.1%), White (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 Baskaran (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 Baskaran mean?
A Hindu surname derived from the Tamil words "Baskar" meaning Lord Shiva and "an" meaning person or devotee. 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 Baskaran (0.22 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 Baskaran?
See how many people have the surname Baskaran on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.