2000
#26,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Bhandari
An Indian occupational surname referring to a treasurer, merchant, moneylender, or person involved in banking and financial activities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,599 Americans carry the last name Bhandari. That puts it at #6,642 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,217 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhandari 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 Bhandari with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,217
Census rank
#6,642
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,883 bearers of the surname Bhandari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6642nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhandari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhandari
The surname BHANDARI has its origins in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Bhandara', which means 'a place where grains and provisions are stored'. The name is commonly found in the northern and central regions of India, particularly in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The BHANDARI surname dates back to ancient times when people were often identified by their occupations or professions. It is believed that the name was initially given to those who were responsible for managing granaries or storage facilities for grains and other food supplies. This occupation was considered essential in agrarian societies, and those associated with it held a respectable position in their communities.
Historical records suggest that the BHANDARI surname can be traced back to the 11th century CE. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Khajuraho inscriptions, which date back to the Chandella dynasty of central India. These inscriptions mention individuals with the BHANDARI surname in various administrative and military roles.
During the Mughal period in India, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the BHANDARI surname served in influential positions. One such figure was Raja Bhandari, a military commander who fought alongside Akbar, the Mughal emperor, in the 16th century.
Another prominent historical figure with the BHANDARI surname was Pandit Ishwari Prasad Bhandari, a renowned scholar and writer who lived in the 18th century. He authored several texts on Sanskrit grammar, philosophy, and literature, and his works are still studied and revered by academics and scholars.
In more recent history, Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of independent India, was born into a BHANDARI family. His full name was Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhandari, and he played a crucial role in shaping India's political landscape during the 1960s.
Other notable individuals with the BHANDARI surname include Raj Bhandari, an Indian independence activist and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, and Shyam Bhandari, a renowned Indian actor and director who made significant contributions to the Hindi film industry in the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhandari
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhandari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhandari 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 Bhandari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.8% · 4,631
- White2.2% · 105
- Two or more races1.6% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 47
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhandari
Bhandari 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
#13,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,244
+1,389 bearers (+162.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 13,244 places
2020
#6,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,883
+2,639 bearers (+117.6%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Up 6,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,761 | 855 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,517 | 2,244 | 0.76 | +1,389 bearers (+162.5%) | Up 13,244 places |
| 2020 | #6,642 | 4,883 | 1.63 | +2,639 bearers (+117.6%) | Up 6,875 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 Bhandari 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 | #13,517 | #6,642 | 50.9% |
| Count | 2,244 | 4,883 | 117.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 1.63 | 115.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhandari bearers went from 2,244 to 4,883 (+117.6% change). The surname moved up 6,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,517 to #6,642.
FAQ
Bhandari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhandari?
Name Census estimates that about 5,599 living Americans carry the surname Bhandari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,217 residents.
How common is Bhandari?
Bhandari ranks #6,642 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 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 4,883 people with the surname Bhandari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,599), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 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 Bhandari.
Has Bhandari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhandari went from 2,244 recorded bearers to 4,883. That is an increase of 2,639 (+117.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,517 to #6,642.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhandari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhandari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bhandari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (4,631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhandari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.8%), White (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bhandari (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 Bhandari mean?
An Indian occupational surname referring to a treasurer, merchant, moneylender, or person involved in banking and financial activities. 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 Bhandari (1.63 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 people have the last name Bhandari?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bhandari? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.