Find out how popular the last name Bhat is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bhat.

Bhat, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bhat surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bhat in America

Bhat is the 13916th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bhat surname appeared 2,170 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bhat.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bhat to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bhat

The surname BHAT is of Indian origin, specifically from the region of Kashmir. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhatt,' which means 'scholar' or 'priest.' The name can be traced back to the 8th century AD, when Kashmir was a center of Hindu and Buddhist learning.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BHAT can be found in the Rajatarangini, a 12th-century Sanskrit chronicle of the kings of Kashmir written by Kalhana. The text mentions several individuals with the surname, indicating that the name was well-established in the region at that time.

The name BHAT is also associated with the Kashmiri Pandit community, a Hindu Brahmin community native to the Kashmir Valley. The Pandits were known for their scholarly pursuits and played a significant role in the region's intellectual and cultural life.

During the medieval period, the BHAT surname was widely found among scholars, poets, and writers in Kashmir. One notable figure was Shri Bhatt, a 14th-century Kashmiri poet and philosopher who wrote extensively on Hindu theology and philosophy.

Another prominent individual with the BHAT surname was Pandit Anand Koul Bhat (1635-1719), a renowned Sanskrit scholar and author of several works on grammar, poetry, and philosophy. His contributions to the field of Sanskrit literature are widely recognized.

The name BHAT also appears in historical records from other parts of India, particularly in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where it is associated with various communities and occupations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside Kashmir is found in the Gwalior inscription, dated to the 15th century, which mentions an individual named Bhat Narayan. This suggests that the name had spread to other regions of India by that time.

Throughout history, several notable individuals with the surname BHAT have made significant contributions in various fields, such as literature, art, and politics. For example, Narayan Bhat Shastri (1768-1840) was a prominent Marathi poet and scholar from Maharashtra, while Govind Chintaman Bhat (1812-1888) was a renowned Marathi playwright and social reformer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bhat

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bhat.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bhat was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bhat has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bhat was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bhat, please contact us.

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