2010
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bharati
A surname of Indian origin meaning "of or relating to India or Bharat (India)".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 401 Americans carry the last name Bharati. That puts it at #61,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 854,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bharati 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
401
1 in 854,749
Census rank
#61,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
350
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 350 bearers of the surname Bharati in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bharati, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bharati
The surname Bharati originated in India and can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit roots. It is derived from the word 'Bharata', which refers to the mythical progenitor of the Bharata clan mentioned in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.
The name Bharati has its origins in the Vedic period, which dates back to around 1500–500 BCE. It was initially used as a title for scholars, poets, and learned individuals who were well-versed in the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Over time, it became a surname adopted by various Brahmin families across different regions of the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bharati can be found in the Rig Veda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism. The Rig Veda contains hymns composed by several sages and poets, some of whom were referred to as 'Bharatas' or 'Bharatis'.
In the medieval period, the name Bharati was associated with several renowned scholars and poets. One notable figure was Kalidasa, a renowned classical Sanskrit poet and playwright who lived around the 4th-5th century CE. Another prominent individual with the surname Bharati was Bhartrihari, a 7th-century Sanskrit scholar, poet, and grammarian.
During the 19th century, the name Bharati gained prominence in the Indian independence movement. Subramania Bharati, also known as Bharathiyar (1882-1921), was a renowned Tamil writer, poet, and Indian independence activist who played a significant role in the Tamil literary renaissance and the Indian independence movement.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bharati include Rani Bharati Devi (1835-1906), a Maharani of the Princely State of Indore; and Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Datta Bharati. He was a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.
The name Bharati continues to be a popular surname among various communities in India, particularly among Brahmins and other scholarly families, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the rich literary and cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bharati
Among Census respondents with the surname Bharati, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bharati 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 Bharati surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.6% · 338
- Two or more races1.7% · 6
- White1.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bharati
Bharati 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
#61,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
+216 bearers (+161.2%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 65,604 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #61,890 | 350 | 0.12 | +216 bearers (+161.2%) | Up 65,604 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 Bharati 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 | #127,494 | #61,890 | 51.5% |
| Count | 134 | 350 | 161.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.12 | 134.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bharati bearers went from 134 to 350 (+161.2% change). The surname moved up 65,604 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #61,890.
FAQ
Bharati surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bharati?
Name Census estimates that about 401 living Americans carry the surname Bharati. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 854,749 residents.
How common is Bharati?
Bharati ranks #61,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 350 people with the surname Bharati. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Bharati.
Has Bharati become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bharati went from 134 recorded bearers to 350. That is an increase of 216 (+161.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #127,494 to #61,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Bharati?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bharati, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and White (1.1%). 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 Bharati in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bharati appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%), White (1.1%). 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 Bharati (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 Bharati mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning "of or relating to India or Bharat (India)". 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 Bharati (0.12 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 are called Bharati?
See how many people have the surname Bharati on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.