2010
#79,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Boppana
A topographic surname referring to someone residing near a pond or reservoir.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 461 Americans carry the last name Boppana. That puts it at #55,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 743,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boppana 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
461
1 in 743,502
Census rank
#55,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
402
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 402 bearers of the surname Boppana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boppana, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boppana
The surname "BOPPANA" originates from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is derived from the Telugu language and can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries.
In Telugu, the word "Boppana" is believed to have its roots in the term "Boppana Varu," which translates to "people of the Boppana region." This region was likely a small village or settlement in the Rayalaseema or Coastal Andhra areas of present-day Andhra Pradesh. The name may have originated as a way to identify individuals or families hailing from this particular locality.
Historical records and manuscripts from the Kakatiya and Vijayanagara empires, which ruled over parts of southern India during the medieval period, may contain references to individuals bearing the surname "BOPPANA." However, specific mentions in ancient texts are not widely documented or easily accessible.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BOPPANA" can be found in the late 16th century, when Boppana Linganna, a prominent Telugu scholar and poet, lived during the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire. He is known for his literary works, including the translation of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana into Telugu.
Another notable individual with the surname "BOPPANA" was Boppana Bhupathi Raju, a prominent landlord and philanthropist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was instrumental in establishing educational institutions and supporting the advancement of education in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
In the 19th century, Boppana Venkataramana Naidu, a social reformer and educationist, played a significant role in promoting women's education and advocating for the abolition of the dowry system in South India.
Boppana Sivaramakrishna Rao, born in the late 19th century, was a renowned Telugu writer and scholar who contributed significantly to the literary landscape of Andhra Pradesh through his numerous works, including novels, plays, and literary criticisms.
In more recent times, Boppana Chandrasekhar, an Indian politician and former member of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament), represented the Rajampet constituency in Andhra Pradesh from 1998 to 2004.
It is important to note that historical records and references to the surname "BOPPANA" may be limited due to the lack of comprehensive documentation and preservation of genealogical records in certain regions of India during earlier periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boppana
Among Census respondents with the surname Boppana, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Boppana 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 Boppana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.8% · 385
- White2.2% · 9
- Two or more races1.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boppana
Boppana 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
#55,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 402
+161 bearers (+66.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 23,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #79,075 | 241 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #55,187 | 402 | 0.13 | +161 bearers (+66.8%) | Up 23,888 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 Boppana 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 | #79,075 | #55,187 | 30.2% |
| Count | 241 | 402 | 66.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.13 | 68.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boppana bearers went from 241 to 402 (+66.8% change). The surname moved up 23,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,075 to #55,187.
FAQ
Boppana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boppana?
Name Census estimates that about 461 living Americans carry the surname Boppana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 743,502 residents.
How common is Boppana?
Boppana ranks #55,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 402 people with the surname Boppana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Boppana.
Has Boppana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boppana went from 241 recorded bearers to 402. That is an increase of 161 (+66.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #79,075 to #55,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Boppana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boppana, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Boppana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boppana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.8%), White (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Boppana (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 Boppana mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone residing near a pond or reservoir. 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 Boppana (0.13 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 common is the surname Boppana?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Boppana at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.