2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Birla
An Anglicized name derived from the Sanskrit word "viralā" meaning precious or beloved.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 227 Americans carry the last name Birla. That puts it at #98,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,509,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birla 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
227
1 in 1,509,931
Census rank
#98,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
198
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 198 bearers of the surname Birla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birla
The surname BIRLA originated in India, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "birala," which means "rare" or "precious." This surname was initially associated with traders and merchants who dealt in rare and valuable goods.
The earliest known records of the BIRLA surname can be found in ancient Hindu texts and manuscripts from the medieval period. One notable mention is in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, which listed various surnames and their occupations.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the BIRLA name gained prominence in the trading communities of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The towns of Pilani and Shekhawati were particularly known for their BIRLA families, who established themselves as successful businessmen and entrepreneurs.
One of the most renowned individuals with the BIRLA surname was Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894-1983), an industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate. He played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.
Another notable BIRLA was Krishna Kumar Birla (1918-2008), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist who led the Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest business conglomerates in India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, for his contributions to trade and industry.
In the field of literature, Rajendra Prasad Birla (1919-2000) was a renowned Hindi poet and author. He received several prestigious literary awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan.
The BIRLA name has also been associated with educational institutions, such as the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), which was founded in 1964 and has campuses across India.
Another notable individual was Lakshmi Niwas Birla (1884-1941), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist who established several educational institutions, including the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani.
Throughout its history, the BIRLA surname has been closely associated with business, industry, and philanthropic endeavors, reflecting the core values of entrepreneurship and contribution to society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birla
Among Census respondents with the surname Birla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Birla 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 Birla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.4% · 187
- Black or African American2.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.0% · 4
- White0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birla
Birla appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#98,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
+71 bearers (+55.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 34,917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #98,131 | 198 | 0.07 | +71 bearers (+55.9%) | Up 34,917 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 Birla 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 | #133,048 | #98,131 | 26.2% |
| Count | 127 | 198 | 55.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.07 | 65.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birla bearers went from 127 to 198 (+55.9% change). The surname moved up 34,917 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #98,131.
FAQ
Birla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birla?
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the surname Birla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,509,931 residents.
How common is Birla?
Birla ranks #98,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 198 people with the surname Birla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Birla.
Has Birla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birla went from 127 recorded bearers to 198. That is an increase of 71 (+55.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,048 to #98,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Birla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Birla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.4%), Black (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Birla (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 Birla mean?
An Anglicized name derived from the Sanskrit word "viralā" meaning precious or beloved. 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 Birla (0.07 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 Americans have the surname Birla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.