2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Rare Last name
Bhattarai
An ethnic surname from Nepal denoting the Brahmin caste.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,628 Americans carry the last name Bhattarai. That puts it at #7,887 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhattarai 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 Bhattarai with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,061
Census rank
#7,887
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,036 bearers of the surname Bhattarai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7887th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhattarai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and White (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhattarai
The surname BHATTARAI has its origins in Nepal, where it is one of the most common surnames among the Brahmin community. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Bhatta," which means a learned scholar or a priest, and the suffix "rai" denotes a high caste or a member of the ruling class.
The earliest known records of the BHATTARAI surname can be traced back to the medieval period, when Nepal was ruled by the Malla dynasty. During this time, the Bhattarais were highly respected scholars and advisors to the kings, and played a significant role in the cultural and religious life of the country.
One of the earliest known references to the BHATTARAI surname is found in the Nepali chronicles, which mention a renowned scholar named Jayaraj Bhattarai, who lived during the reign of King Siddhi Narsingh Malla in the 16th century. Jayaraj Bhattarai was a prolific writer and poet, and is credited with several literary works that are still studied and revered in Nepal today.
Another notable figure in Nepali history who bore the BHATTARAI surname was Bhaskar Bhattarai, a prominent political leader and social reformer who played a crucial role in the overthrow of the Rana regime in the early 20th century. Bhaskar Bhattarai (1884-1972) was a staunch advocate of democracy and worked tirelessly to establish a constitutional monarchy in Nepal.
In more recent times, the BHATTARAI surname has continued to be associated with academic excellence and intellectual pursuits. One of the most renowned figures of the 20th century was Baburam Bhattarai (born 1954), a politician, scholar, and former Prime Minister of Nepal. Baburam Bhattarai was instrumental in the Maoist movement in Nepal and played a key role in the country's transition to a federal democratic republic.
Another notable BHATTARAI was Govinda Raj Bhattarai (1924-2014), a renowned Nepali poet, essayist, and literary critic. Govinda Raj Bhattarai's works explored themes of nationalism, social justice, and human rights, and he was widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in Nepali literature.
The BHATTARAI surname has also been associated with several place names in Nepal, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas. For example, the village of Bhattarai Gaun in Kathmandu district is believed to have been named after the Bhattarai community that settled there centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhattarai
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhattarai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and White (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhattarai 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 Bhattarai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.8% · 3,947
- Two or more races0.9% · 36
- White0.6% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhattarai
Bhattarai 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
#20,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,284
+1,153 bearers (+880.2%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 101,153 places
2020
#7,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,036
+2,752 bearers (+214.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 12,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,627 | 1,284 | 0.44 | +1,153 bearers (+880.2%) | Up 101,153 places |
| 2020 | #7,887 | 4,036 | 1.35 | +2,752 bearers (+214.3%) | Up 12,740 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 Bhattarai 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 | #20,627 | #7,887 | 61.8% |
| Count | 1,284 | 4,036 | 214.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 1.35 | 206.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhattarai bearers went from 1,284 to 4,036 (+214.3% change). The surname moved up 12,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,627 to #7,887.
FAQ
Bhattarai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhattarai?
Name Census estimates that about 4,628 living Americans carry the surname Bhattarai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,061 residents.
How common is Bhattarai?
Bhattarai ranks #7,887 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,036 people with the surname Bhattarai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Bhattarai.
Has Bhattarai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhattarai went from 1,284 recorded bearers to 4,036. That is an increase of 2,752 (+214.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,627 to #7,887.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhattarai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhattarai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and White (0.6%). 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 Bhattarai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.8% (3,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhattarai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.8%), Two or More Races (0.9%), White (0.6%). 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 Bhattarai (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 Bhattarai mean?
An ethnic surname from Nepal denoting the Brahmin caste. 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 Bhattarai (1.35 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 Bhattarai?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.