2010
#68,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Behera
A surname originating from the Odia language, indicating a person of the Behera community or caste.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 697 Americans carry the last name Behera. That puts it at #39,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 491,757 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Behera 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
697
1 in 491,757
Census rank
#39,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
608
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 608 bearers of the surname Behera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Behera, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Behera
The surname BEHERA has its origins in India, specifically in the state of Odisha. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 16th centuries.
The name BEHERA is derived from the Sanskrit word "Vaidya," which means a physician or a person skilled in the art of healing. In ancient India, the Vaidyas were highly respected members of society and played a crucial role in the practice of traditional medicine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEHERA can be found in the Madala Panji, a historical chronicle of the Gajapati kings of Odisha. This document, dating back to the 16th century, mentions several individuals with the surname BEHERA, indicating that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Balaram Behera, born in 1620, gained recognition as a skilled physician and scholar. He authored several texts on traditional Indian medicine and was highly regarded for his contributions to the field.
Another prominent individual with the surname BEHERA was Gopal Chandra Behera, born in 1812. He was a renowned poet and writer who made significant contributions to the Odia literary tradition. His works, including the epic poem "Kalinga Kaumudi," have been widely acclaimed and studied.
In the 20th century, Jagannath Behera, born in 1901, was a distinguished freedom fighter who participated in India's struggle for independence from British rule. He was actively involved in the non-violent resistance movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and spent several years in prison for his participation.
Upendra Behera, born in 1935, was a renowned artist and sculptor from Odisha. His works, which drew inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of the region, have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across India and internationally.
The name BEHERA has also been associated with various place names in Odisha. For instance, the village of Behera Sahi in the Bhubaneswar district was named after the Behera community residing there.
While the surname BEHERA originated in Odisha, it has since spread to other parts of India and even to other countries due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Vaidya tradition of Odisha, where it holds a significant historical and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behera
Among Census respondents with the surname Behera, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Behera 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 Behera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.7% · 582
- White2.1% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Behera
Behera 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
#39,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 608
+320 bearers (+111.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 29,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #68,345 | 288 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #39,103 | 608 | 0.20 | +320 bearers (+111.1%) | Up 29,242 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 Behera 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 | #68,345 | #39,103 | 42.8% |
| Count | 288 | 608 | 111.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.20 | 103.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Behera bearers went from 288 to 608 (+111.1% change). The surname moved up 29,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,345 to #39,103.
FAQ
Behera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Behera?
Name Census estimates that about 697 living Americans carry the surname Behera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 491,757 residents.
How common is Behera?
Behera ranks #39,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 608 people with the surname Behera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (697), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Behera.
Has Behera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Behera went from 288 recorded bearers to 608. That is an increase of 320 (+111.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #68,345 to #39,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Behera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Behera, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Behera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Behera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.7%), White (2.1%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Behera (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 Behera mean?
A surname originating from the Odia language, indicating a person of the Behera community or caste. 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 Behera (0.20 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 Behera?
Find out how common the surname Behera is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.