2000
#20,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Bhat
A surname of Indian origin, referring to a priest or scholar, derived from the Sanskrit word "bhatta."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,018 Americans carry the last name Bhat. That puts it at #8,961 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhat 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 Bhat with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,305
Census rank
#8,961
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,504 bearers of the surname Bhat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8961st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhat
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhat 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 Bhat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.4% · 3,309
- White2.5% · 88
- Two or more races2.1% · 75
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhat
Bhat 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
#13,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
+997 bearers (+85.0%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 7,000 places
2020
#8,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,504
+1,334 bearers (+61.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 4,955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,916 | 1,173 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,916 | 2,170 | 0.74 | +997 bearers (+85.0%) | Up 7,000 places |
| 2020 | #8,961 | 3,504 | 1.17 | +1,334 bearers (+61.5%) | Up 4,955 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 Bhat 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 | #13,916 | #8,961 | 35.6% |
| Count | 2,170 | 3,504 | 61.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 1.17 | 58.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhat bearers went from 2,170 to 3,504 (+61.5% change). The surname moved up 4,955 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,916 to #8,961.
FAQ
Bhat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhat?
Name Census estimates that about 4,018 living Americans carry the surname Bhat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,305 residents.
How common is Bhat?
Bhat ranks #8,961 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,504 people with the surname Bhat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,018), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Bhat.
Has Bhat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhat went from 2,170 recorded bearers to 3,504. That is an increase of 1,334 (+61.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,916 to #8,961.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bhat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (3,309 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.4%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bhat (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 Bhat mean?
A surname of Indian origin, referring to a priest or scholar, derived from the Sanskrit word "bhatta." 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 Bhat (1.17 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 Bhat?
See how many people are called Bhat on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.