2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bhowmik
A surname representing an affluent and learned person in Bengal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 539 Americans carry the last name Bhowmik. That puts it at #48,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 635,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhowmik 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.
Bearers in the US
539
1 in 635,908
Census rank
#48,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
470
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 470 bearers of the surname Bhowmik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhowmik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhowmik
The surname Bhowmik has its origins in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'Bhumika,' which means 'land' or 'earth.' The name is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The Bhowmik surname was likely associated with landowners or individuals who had a strong connection to the land, either through agriculture or other land-based occupations. The name may have been adopted by families who were involved in farming or held positions related to land management or administration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bhowmik surname can be found in the Rajbangshi chronicles, a collection of historical records from the Kingdom of Kamrup (present-day Assam and parts of West Bengal). These chronicles mention individuals with the surname Bhowmik, indicating their presence in the region during the 13th and 14th centuries.
In the 16th century, the Bhowmik surname appears in several inscriptions and manuscripts from the Bengal region. One notable example is the inscription found in the Shyambazar area of Kolkata, which mentions a person named Debendra Bhowmik, who lived during the reign of the Hussain Shahi dynasty (1494-1538).
Among the notable individuals with the Bhowmik surname, one can mention Jagadish Chandra Bhowmik (1880-1965), a renowned Bengali playwright and novelist from the early 20th century. His works, such as "Rakhali" and "Nishiddha Phal," explored themes of social justice and the struggles of the common people.
Another prominent figure is Protima Bhowmik (1942-2021), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was a renowned exponent of the Manipuri dance form and was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 2017.
Binodini Bhowmik (1921-2004) was a pioneering Indian singer and actress from the Bengali theatre and film industry. She was known for her contributions to the popularization of Rabindra Sangeet, the songs composed by the legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore.
In the field of sports, Bijoy Bhowmik (born 1950) was a prominent Indian footballer who played as a striker for the national team and several clubs, including East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
Lastly, Baidyanath Bhowmik (1927-2017) was a noted Bengali writer and journalist. He was known for his novels, short stories, and literary criticism, and was a recipient of the prestigious Ananda Purashkar literary award.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhowmik
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhowmik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhowmik 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 Bhowmik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.4% · 439
- White2.1% · 10
- Two or more races1.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhowmik
Bhowmik 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
#71,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
+156 bearers (+134.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 62,359 places
2020
#48,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 470
+198 bearers (+72.8%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 23,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #71,678 | 272 | 0.09 | +156 bearers (+134.5%) | Up 62,359 places |
| 2020 | #48,549 | 470 | 0.16 | +198 bearers (+72.8%) | Up 23,129 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 Bhowmik 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 | #71,678 | #48,549 | 32.3% |
| Count | 272 | 470 | 72.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.16 | 74.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhowmik bearers went from 272 to 470 (+72.8% change). The surname moved up 23,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #71,678 to #48,549.
FAQ
Bhowmik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhowmik?
Name Census estimates that about 539 living Americans carry the surname Bhowmik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 635,908 residents.
How common is Bhowmik?
Bhowmik ranks #48,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 470 people with the surname Bhowmik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (539), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Bhowmik.
Has Bhowmik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhowmik went from 272 recorded bearers to 470. That is an increase of 198 (+72.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #71,678 to #48,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhowmik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhowmik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bhowmik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhowmik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.4%), White (2.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bhowmik (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 Bhowmik mean?
A surname representing an affluent and learned person in Bengal. 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 Bhowmik (0.16 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 Bhowmik?
You can see how many people are called Bhowmik on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.