2000
#8,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,609
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Bhatt
A Brahmin Hindu surname of Sanskrit origin, indicating a priest, teacher, or scholar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,246 Americans carry the last name Bhatt. That puts it at #4,771 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,566 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhatt 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 Bhatt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,566
Census rank
#4,771
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,191 bearers of the surname Bhatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4771st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhatt, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhatt
The surname Bhatt has its origins in India, where it is believed to have originated in the region of Gujarat during the medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Bhatta," which means "scholar" or "learned person."
In ancient India, the Bhatt community was highly revered for their knowledge and expertise in various fields, particularly in the areas of astrology, philosophy, and religious studies. Many members of this community were employed as scholars, priests, and advisors in royal courts and temples.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bhatt can be found in ancient Sanskrit manuscripts and inscriptions from the Chalukya and Solanki dynasties, which ruled over parts of Gujarat between the 6th and 13th centuries. These records often mention individuals with the title "Bhatta" or "Bhatt" as learned scholars or religious figures.
The name Bhatt has also been associated with various place names in Gujarat, such as Bhattapura, Bhattapur, and Bhattagam, which likely derived their names from the presence of Bhatt communities in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Bhatt. One of the earliest recorded examples is Bhavabhutti (c. 700 CE), a renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist who authored works like Malati-Madhava and Uttara-Rama-Charita. Another notable figure was Udayana Bhatt (c. 984-1050 CE), a celebrated philosopher and logician from Gujarat, known for his contributions to the Navya-Nyaya school of Indian logic.
In the 16th century, Thakkura Pheru Bhatt (1483-1598 CE) was a prominent poet and scholar who composed several literary works in the Gujarati language. Narsimha Bhatt (c. 1530-1600 CE), a Sanskrit scholar and poet from Gujarat, is also widely recognized for his contribution to the revival of classical Sanskrit literature during the Mughal period.
More recently, in the 20th century, Narayan Bhatt (1901-1961) was a renowned Gujarati poet and writer who played a significant role in the literary renaissance of Gujarat. His works, including "Kavya-Sudha" and "Kavya-Kalash," are considered masterpieces of modern Gujarati literature.
While the surname Bhatt is predominantly found in the Indian state of Gujarat, it has also been adopted by various communities across other regions of India, reflecting the widespread influence and migration of the Bhatt community over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhatt, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhatt 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 Bhatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.7% · 6,736
- White2.6% · 188
- Two or more races2.3% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhatt
Bhatt 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
#6,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,349
+1,740 bearers (+48.2%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Up 2,047 places
2020
#4,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,191
+1,842 bearers (+34.4%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Up 1,592 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,410 | 3,609 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,363 | 5,349 | 1.81 | +1,740 bearers (+48.2%) | Up 2,047 places |
| 2020 | #4,771 | 7,191 | 2.41 | +1,842 bearers (+34.4%) | Up 1,592 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 Bhatt 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 | #6,363 | #4,771 | 25.0% |
| Count | 5,349 | 7,191 | 34.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 2.41 | 32.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhatt bearers went from 5,349 to 7,191 (+34.4% change). The surname moved up 1,592 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,363 to #4,771.
FAQ
Bhatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhatt?
Name Census estimates that about 8,246 living Americans carry the surname Bhatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,566 residents.
How common is Bhatt?
Bhatt ranks #4,771 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,191 people with the surname Bhatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bhatt.
Has Bhatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhatt went from 5,349 recorded bearers to 7,191. That is an increase of 1,842 (+34.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,363 to #4,771.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhatt, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Bhatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (6,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.7%), White (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Bhatt (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 Bhatt mean?
A Brahmin Hindu surname of Sanskrit origin, indicating a priest, teacher, or scholar. 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 Bhatt (2.41 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 Bhatt?
Find out how common the surname Bhatt is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.