2000
#28,751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Bhargava
A Sanskrit surname derived from the name of a Vedic rishi or sage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,209 Americans carry the last name Bhargava. That puts it at #14,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,163 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhargava 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 Bhargava with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,163
Census rank
#14,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,926 bearers of the surname Bhargava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhargava, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhargava
The surname Bhargava originates from the Indian subcontinent and has its roots in Sanskrit, one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages. The name Bhargava is derived from the Sanskrit word "Bhrigu," which refers to one of the great sages or rishis in Hindu mythology. The Bhrigus were a prominent clan of Vedic scholars and priests.
Bhargava is a patronymic surname, which means it is derived from the name of an ancestor or progenitor. In this case, Bhargava signifies a descendant or a follower of the sage Bhrigu. The name has been in use for centuries and can be found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Bhargava can be found in the Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism. The Rigveda refers to a sage named Bhrigu Bhargava, who is credited with composing several hymns in the text. This reference dates back to around 1500-1200 BCE.
Over the centuries, several prominent individuals have borne the surname Bhargava. One notable figure was Acharya Bhargava, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 8th century CE. He is known for his contributions to the study of Nyaya philosophy, one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy.
Another prominent Bhargava was Pitambar Bhargava, a freedom fighter and politician from India. He was born in 1890 and played an active role in the Indian independence movement, working alongside leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Govind Bhargava, born in 1917, was a distinguished Indian civil servant and diplomat. He served as the Governor of several Indian states, including Punjab and Rajasthan, and also held the position of India's Ambassador to the United States from 1974 to 1977.
In the field of literature, Rajendra Yadav Bhargava, born in 1924, was a celebrated Hindi poet and writer. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award, one of the highest literary honors in India, for his poetry collection "Andhayug" in 1966.
Another notable individual with the surname Bhargava was Harishchandra Bhargava, a renowned Indian mathematician and statistician. Born in 1925, he made significant contributions to the field of statistics and served as the Director of the Indian Statistical Institute from 1983 to 1987.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhargava
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhargava, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhargava 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 Bhargava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.1% · 1,794
- White3.5% · 67
- Two or more races2.5% · 49
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhargava
Bhargava 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
#20,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,295
+516 bearers (+66.2%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 8,260 places
2020
#14,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,926
+631 bearers (+48.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 5,703 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,751 | 779 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,491 | 1,295 | 0.44 | +516 bearers (+66.2%) | Up 8,260 places |
| 2020 | #14,788 | 1,926 | 0.64 | +631 bearers (+48.7%) | Up 5,703 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 Bhargava 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 | #20,491 | #14,788 | 27.8% |
| Count | 1,295 | 1,926 | 48.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.64 | 46.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhargava bearers went from 1,295 to 1,926 (+48.7% change). The surname moved up 5,703 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,491 to #14,788.
FAQ
Bhargava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhargava?
Name Census estimates that about 2,209 living Americans carry the surname Bhargava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,163 residents.
How common is Bhargava?
Bhargava ranks #14,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,926 people with the surname Bhargava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,209), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bhargava.
Has Bhargava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhargava went from 1,295 recorded bearers to 1,926. That is an increase of 631 (+48.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,491 to #14,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhargava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhargava, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Bhargava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhargava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.1%), White (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Bhargava (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 Bhargava mean?
A Sanskrit surname derived from the name of a Vedic rishi or sage. 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 Bhargava (0.64 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 surname Bhargava?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.