2000
#58,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Chakrabarti
A surname meaning "one skilled in using the discus or chakra".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 714 Americans carry the last name Chakrabarti. That puts it at #38,279 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 480,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chakrabarti 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 Chakrabarti with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
714
1 in 480,048
Census rank
#38,279
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
623
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 623 bearers of the surname Chakrabarti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38279th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chakrabarti, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chakrabarti
The surname Chakrabarti originated in India, specifically in the Bengal region. The name can be traced back to the 16th century or earlier. It is derived from the Sanskrit words "chakra" meaning wheel or circle, and "varthi" meaning resident or occupant. Thus, the name Chakrabarti likely referred to a person who lived near or worked with wheels or circular objects.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Chakrabarti can be found in ancient texts and manuscripts from Bengal. One notable example is the mention of a person named Chakrabarti in the Bengali novel "Kavikankan Chandi" written by the famous poet Mukundaram Chakrabarti in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Chakrabarti surname appeared in various land ownership records and administrative documents in Bengal. One prominent figure from this era was Ramkrishna Chakrabarti, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived from 1612 to 1685.
During the 18th century, the Chakrabarti name gained further prominence with the rise of the Chakrabarti family in the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Ramnath Chakrabarti, a prominent merchant and philanthropist, was born in 1738 and played a significant role in the development of the city.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the Chakrabarti surname made significant contributions in various fields. Bankim Chandra Chakrabarti (1838-1894) was a famous novelist, poet, and playwright who is considered a pioneer of Bengali literature. Jyotirindranath Chakrabarti (1863-1939) was a renowned lawyer and politician who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
Another notable figure was Jogesh Chandra Chakrabarti (1866-1939), a renowned educationist and social reformer who established several schools and institutions in Bengal. Upendranath Chakrabarti (1888-1969) was a distinguished physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of spectroscopy.
In the 20th century, the Chakrabarti name continued to be associated with academic and literary achievements. Sisir Kumar Chakrabarti (1907-1987) was a prominent historian and scholar who specialized in the study of ancient Indian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chakrabarti
Among Census respondents with the surname Chakrabarti, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Chakrabarti 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 Chakrabarti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.0% · 561
- White4.7% · 29
- Two or more races4.2% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chakrabarti
Chakrabarti 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
#43,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 493
+171 bearers (+53.1%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 15,117 places
2020
#38,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 623
+130 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 5,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,849 | 322 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,732 | 493 | 0.17 | +171 bearers (+53.1%) | Up 15,117 places |
| 2020 | #38,279 | 623 | 0.21 | +130 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 5,453 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 Chakrabarti 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 | #43,732 | #38,279 | 12.5% |
| Count | 493 | 623 | 26.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.21 | 22.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chakrabarti bearers went from 493 to 623 (+26.4% change). The surname moved up 5,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,732 to #38,279.
FAQ
Chakrabarti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chakrabarti?
Name Census estimates that about 714 living Americans carry the surname Chakrabarti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 480,048 residents.
How common is Chakrabarti?
Chakrabarti ranks #38,279 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 623 people with the surname Chakrabarti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (714), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Chakrabarti.
Has Chakrabarti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chakrabarti went from 493 recorded bearers to 623. That is an increase of 130 (+26.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #43,732 to #38,279.
What does the Census say about the background of Chakrabarti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chakrabarti, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Chakrabarti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chakrabarti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.0%), White (4.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Chakrabarti (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 Chakrabarti mean?
A surname meaning "one skilled in using the discus or chakra". 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 Chakrabarti (0.21 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 Chakrabarti?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.