2000
#61,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 305
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Rare Last name
Bhattacharjee
A Hindu surname signifying a Brahmin scholar or learned priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,236 Americans carry the last name Bhattacharjee. That puts it at #24,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 277,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhattacharjee 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 Bhattacharjee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 277,309
Census rank
#24,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,078 bearers of the surname Bhattacharjee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhattacharjee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhattacharjee
The surname Bhattacharjee originated in the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the regions of Bengal and Bangladesh. It traces its roots back to the Sanskrit language, where "Bhatta" means an honorific title given to learned scholars and "Acharya" refers to a teacher or preceptor. The name Bhattacharjee thus translates to "venerated teacher" or "respected preceptor."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where revered scholars and philosophers were often referred to by their honorific titles. One of the earliest known Bhattacharjees was Bhattacharya Krishnananda Agamavagisha, a prominent Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 7th century CE. His works on trigonometry and astronomy were highly influential in the development of these fields in ancient India.
In the medieval period, the Bhattacharjee surname was closely associated with the Nadia district of West Bengal, which was a renowned center of learning and spirituality. Many renowned scholars, poets, and religious figures hailed from this region and bore the Bhattacharjee surname. One such notable figure was Bhattacharjee Nandadulal Roy, a 16th-century Bengali poet and writer who composed several works on Hindu mythology and philosophy.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Bhattacharjees gained prominence in various fields. Bhattacharjee Brajendranath Seal was a renowned Indian civil servant and writer who served as the Diwan (Prime Minister) of the princely state of Tripura in the late 19th century. Another notable figure was Bhattacharjee Chandranath Basu, a Bengali writer, and social reformer who played a significant role in the Bengal Renaissance movement.
In more recent history, the Bhattacharjee surname has been associated with several distinguished individuals. Bhattacharjee Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (born 1944) was the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and a prominent figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Bhattacharjee Soumitra Chatterjee (1935-2020) was a legendary Indian actor and recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest honor in cinema.
The Bhattacharjee surname continues to be widely prevalent in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, and Bangladesh, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural and historical significance in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhattacharjee
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhattacharjee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhattacharjee 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 Bhattacharjee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.3% · 1,017
- White2.3% · 25
- Two or more races2.1% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhattacharjee
Bhattacharjee 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
#36,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 620
+315 bearers (+103.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 25,390 places
2020
#24,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,078
+458 bearers (+73.9%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 11,942 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,544 | 305 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,154 | 620 | 0.21 | +315 bearers (+103.3%) | Up 25,390 places |
| 2020 | #24,212 | 1,078 | 0.36 | +458 bearers (+73.9%) | Up 11,942 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 Bhattacharjee 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 | #36,154 | #24,212 | 33.0% |
| Count | 620 | 1,078 | 73.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.36 | 71.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhattacharjee bearers went from 620 to 1,078 (+73.9% change). The surname moved up 11,942 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,154 to #24,212.
FAQ
Bhattacharjee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhattacharjee?
Name Census estimates that about 1,236 living Americans carry the surname Bhattacharjee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 277,309 residents.
How common is Bhattacharjee?
Bhattacharjee ranks #24,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,078 people with the surname Bhattacharjee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Bhattacharjee.
Has Bhattacharjee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhattacharjee went from 620 recorded bearers to 1,078. That is an increase of 458 (+73.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,154 to #24,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhattacharjee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhattacharjee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) 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 Bhattacharjee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (1,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhattacharjee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.3%), White (2.3%), 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 Bhattacharjee (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 Bhattacharjee mean?
A Hindu surname signifying a Brahmin scholar or learned priest. 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 Bhattacharjee (0.36 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 share the surname Bhattacharjee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.