2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bhandary
An Indian surname denoting a person in charge of a storehouse or granary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 257 Americans carry the last name Bhandary. That puts it at #88,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,333,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhandary 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
257
1 in 1,333,674
Census rank
#88,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
224
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 224 bearers of the surname Bhandary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 88925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhandary, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhandary
The surname Bhandary has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of present-day India and Bangladesh. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries.
The name Bhandary is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhandara," which means "storehouse" or "treasury." It was likely given to individuals who worked as treasurers, accountants, or administrators responsible for managing storehouses or finances for rulers, monasteries, or wealthy landowners.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bhandary can be found in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname Bhandary who held positions as treasurers or accountants in the imperial court.
In the 17th century, the Bhandary family played a significant role in the administration of the Ahom Kingdom, a former monarchy in present-day Assam, India. Indramani Bhandary (1680-1748), a prominent figure from this family, served as the Burha Gohain (Prime Minister) during the reign of King Suhungmung.
During the 18th century, the Bhandary surname was also found among the Baidya community in Bengal, a region that spans parts of present-day Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. Notable individuals from this era include Raghunath Bhandary (1725-1792), a renowned scholar and physician.
In the 19th century, Kali Prasanna Bhandary (1837-1897) was a prominent Bengali writer and social reformer who campaigned for women's education and the abolition of the practice of Sati (widow immolation).
As the name Bhandary spread across the Indian subcontinent, variations in spelling emerged, such as Bhandari, Bhandarkar, and Bhandare. These variations are often found in different regions and communities, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences on the name's evolution.
It is worth noting that while the surname Bhandary has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, individuals bearing this name can now be found in various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhandary
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhandary, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhandary 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 Bhandary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.4% · 216
- White3.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhandary
Bhandary 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
#88,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224
+101 bearers (+82.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 47,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #88,925 | 224 | 0.07 | +101 bearers (+82.1%) | Up 47,524 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 Bhandary 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 | #136,449 | #88,925 | 34.8% |
| Count | 123 | 224 | 82.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.07 | 87.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhandary bearers went from 123 to 224 (+82.1% change). The surname moved up 47,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #88,925.
FAQ
Bhandary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhandary?
Name Census estimates that about 257 living Americans carry the surname Bhandary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,333,674 residents.
How common is Bhandary?
Bhandary ranks #88,925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 224 people with the surname Bhandary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Bhandary.
Has Bhandary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhandary went from 123 recorded bearers to 224. That is an increase of 101 (+82.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #136,449 to #88,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhandary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhandary, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Bhandary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (216 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhandary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.4%), White (3.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Bhandary (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 Bhandary mean?
An Indian surname denoting a person in charge of a storehouse or granary. 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 Bhandary (0.07 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 Bhandary?
You can see how common the surname Bhandary is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.