2000
#8,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Bhakta
A Hindu surname indicating a devotee or worshipper, derived from the Sanskrit word "bhakti" meaning devotion or worship.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,262 Americans carry the last name Bhakta. That puts it at #7,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhakta 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 Bhakta with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 65,138
Census rank
#7,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,589 bearers of the surname Bhakta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhakta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhakta
The surname BHAKTA is of Indian origin and can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language. It is derived from the word "bhakta," which means "devotee" or "one who is devoted to a particular deity or spiritual path."
The name BHAKTA has its roots in the Bhakti movement, a spiritual revival that swept across the Indian subcontinent between the 7th and 17th centuries. The Bhakti movement emphasized devotion, love, and surrender to the divine, and it gave rise to many saints, poets, and philosophers who championed this path of spiritual enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BHAKTA can be found in the writings of the 8th-century Hindu philosopher and mystic, Adi Shankara. He referred to those who followed the path of Bhakti as "Bhaktas," highlighting their unwavering devotion to the divine.
The BHAKTA surname gained prominence during the medieval period in India, particularly in the regions of Bengal, Odisha, and the Krishna Valley, where the Bhakti movement had a profound influence. Many families adopted the surname BHAKTA as a way to identify themselves with this spiritual tradition.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname BHAKTA was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534), a renowned Vaishnava saint and the founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. He was often referred to as "Bhakta Chaitanya" by his followers, signifying his intense devotion to Lord Krishna.
Another prominent figure was Surdas (1478-1584), a blind poet and saint from the Bhakti tradition, who composed numerous devotional songs and verses in praise of Lord Krishna. His works, such as the Sursagar, are considered literary masterpieces and are still widely studied and celebrated today.
In the 17th century, Tulsidas (1532-1623), a Brahmin poet and philosopher, wrote the famous Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas, which retells the story of Lord Rama. He is often referred to as "Bhakta Tulsidas" for his unwavering devotion to Lord Rama and his contributions to the Bhakti movement.
Mirabai (1498-1546), a Rajput princess and renowned Bhakti poet, is another figure associated with the BHAKTA surname. Her devotional poems, dedicated to Lord Krishna, are celebrated for their depth of emotion and spiritual longing.
In more recent times, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a renowned Hindu monk and philosopher, was often referred to as "Bhakta Vivekananda" for his deep devotion to his spiritual teacher, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and his contributions to the spread of Vedanta philosophy around the world.
The surname BHAKTA continues to be prevalent in various parts of India, particularly among families with roots in the Bhakti tradition and those who identify with the spiritual path of devotion and surrender to the divine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhakta
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhakta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhakta 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 Bhakta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.9% · 4,307
- White2.6% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 53
- Two or more races1.2% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 31
- Black or African American0.6% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhakta
Bhakta 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
#9,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,359
-143 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 1,020 places
2020
#7,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,589
+1,230 bearers (+36.6%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 2,615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,644 | 3,502 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,664 | 3,359 | 1.14 | -143 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 1,020 places |
| 2020 | #7,049 | 4,589 | 1.54 | +1,230 bearers (+36.6%) | Up 2,615 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 Bhakta 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 | #9,664 | #7,049 | 27.1% |
| Count | 3,359 | 4,589 | 36.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.54 | 34.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhakta bearers went from 3,359 to 4,589 (+36.6% change). The surname moved up 2,615 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,664 to #7,049.
FAQ
Bhakta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhakta?
Name Census estimates that about 5,262 living Americans carry the surname Bhakta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,138 residents.
How common is Bhakta?
Bhakta ranks #7,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,589 people with the surname Bhakta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bhakta.
Has Bhakta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhakta went from 3,359 recorded bearers to 4,589. That is an increase of 1,230 (+36.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,664 to #7,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhakta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhakta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Hispanic (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 Bhakta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (4,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhakta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.9%), White (2.6%), Hispanic (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 Bhakta (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 Bhakta mean?
A Hindu surname indicating a devotee or worshipper, derived from the Sanskrit word "bhakti" meaning devotion or worship. 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 Bhakta (1.54 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 Bhakta?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Bhakta at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.