2010
#82,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Bisht
An Arabic surname denoting a person who wore or made a garment called a bisht.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 649 Americans carry the last name Bisht. That puts it at #41,459 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 528,127 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bisht 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 Bisht with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
649
1 in 528,127
Census rank
#41,459
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
566
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 566 bearers of the surname Bisht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41459th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bisht, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bisht
The surname BISHT is believed to have originated in India, particularly in the northern regions of the country, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Persian word "bisht," which means a long, loose cloak or robe worn by men in Central and Southwest Asia.
In the historical context, the name BISHT may have been associated with individuals who either wore or produced such cloaks or robes. It could have been an occupational surname given to weavers, tailors, or merchants involved in the trade of these garments.
One of the earliest mentions of the name BISHT can be found in the Persian chronicles and records from the Mughal Empire, which ruled over a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century. However, the exact origins and the first recorded instances of the name remain unclear.
Over the centuries, the surname BISHT has been spelled in various ways, including Bisht, Bishta, and Bishtee, reflecting the regional variations and adaptations in pronunciation and transliteration from Persian to local Indian languages.
Notable individuals with the surname BISHT include:
1. Maharaj Bisht, a renowned Indian poet and writer from the 18th century, known for his works in the Braj Bhasha dialect of Hindi.
2. Gyan Chand Bisht, an Indian freedom fighter and politician from Uttarakhand, who played a significant role in the state's formation (1887-1948).
3. Narayan Datt Bisht, an Indian mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of number theory (1903-1976).
4. Shekhar Bisht, an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who served as a member of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.
5. Lakshmi Bisht, an Indian actress and model known for her work in Bollywood and television shows.
While the surname BISHT has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has also been adopted by individuals of various ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the cultural diversity and historical migrations within the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bisht
Among Census respondents with the surname Bisht, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bisht 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 Bisht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.5% · 529
- White2.7% · 15
- Two or more races2.1% · 12
- Black or African American0.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bisht
Bisht 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
#41,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 566
+336 bearers (+146.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 40,585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #82,044 | 230 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #41,459 | 566 | 0.19 | +336 bearers (+146.1%) | Up 40,585 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 Bisht 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 | #82,044 | #41,459 | 49.5% |
| Count | 230 | 566 | 146.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.19 | 136.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bisht bearers went from 230 to 566 (+146.1% change). The surname moved up 40,585 positions in the national ranking, going from #82,044 to #41,459.
FAQ
Bisht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bisht?
Name Census estimates that about 649 living Americans carry the surname Bisht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 528,127 residents.
How common is Bisht?
Bisht ranks #41,459 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 566 people with the surname Bisht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Bisht.
Has Bisht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bisht went from 230 recorded bearers to 566. That is an increase of 336 (+146.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #82,044 to #41,459.
What does the Census say about the background of Bisht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bisht, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) 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 Bisht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bisht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.5%), White (2.7%), 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 Bisht (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 Bisht mean?
An Arabic surname denoting a person who wore or made a garment called a bisht. 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 Bisht (0.19 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 Bisht?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.