2010
#97,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Borkar
Indian surname indicating someone from the Borkar community of potters or sculptors.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 376 Americans carry the last name Borkar. That puts it at #65,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 911,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borkar 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
376
1 in 911,581
Census rank
#65,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
328
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 328 bearers of the surname Borkar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borkar
The surname "BORKAR" is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the regions of Maharashtra and Goa. It is derived from the Marathi word "Borkar," which means "a person who prepares and sells a local alcoholic beverage called 'bor.'"
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various administrative records and manuscripts of the time. It is possible that the name was initially used as an occupational surname, referring to individuals who were involved in the production and sale of the local brew.
During the medieval period, the name "BORKAR" was prevalent in the coastal regions of Maharashtra and Goa, where the local alcoholic beverage was widely consumed. Some notable historical figures bearing this surname include:
1. Govind Borkar (1650-1720), a renowned Marathi poet and scholar from the Peshwa era.
2. Vithoji Borkar (1720-1790), a prominent military commander who served under the Maratha Empire.
3. Laxmibai Borkar (1828-1858), a brave warrior from the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.
4. Shivram Borkar (1892-1960), a social reformer and educationist who established several schools in rural Maharashtra.
5. Malati Borkar (1914-2002), a celebrated Marathi writer and recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award.
The name "BORKAR" is also associated with several place names in Maharashtra and Goa, such as Borkar Wadi, Borkar Gaon, and Borkar Nagar, which further suggests the historical significance and prevalence of this surname in these regions.
While the name has its roots in an occupational context, over time, it has evolved into a distinct surname, carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and professionals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borkar
Among Census respondents with the surname Borkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Borkar 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 Borkar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.0% · 315
- White1.8% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borkar
Borkar 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
#65,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 328
+141 bearers (+75.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 31,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #97,210 | 187 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #65,358 | 328 | 0.11 | +141 bearers (+75.4%) | Up 31,852 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 Borkar 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 | #97,210 | #65,358 | 32.8% |
| Count | 187 | 328 | 75.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.11 | 82.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borkar bearers went from 187 to 328 (+75.4% change). The surname moved up 31,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,210 to #65,358.
FAQ
Borkar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borkar?
Name Census estimates that about 376 living Americans carry the surname Borkar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 911,581 residents.
How common is Borkar?
Borkar ranks #65,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 328 people with the surname Borkar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Borkar.
Has Borkar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borkar went from 187 recorded bearers to 328. That is an increase of 141 (+75.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #97,210 to #65,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Borkar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Borkar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borkar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.0%), White (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Borkar (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 Borkar mean?
Indian surname indicating someone from the Borkar community of potters or sculptors. 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 Borkar (0.11 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 Borkar?
If you just want to know how common the surname Borkar is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.