2000
#12,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,235
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Chand
A surname of Hindi origin referring to the moon, often indicating a connection to the Chand dynasty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,559 Americans carry the last name Chand. That puts it at #7,991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chand 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 Chand with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,182
Census rank
#7,991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,976 bearers of the surname Chand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chand, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chand
The surname CHAND has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, originating from the Sanskrit word "chandra" meaning "moon." It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the medieval period, particularly in the northern regions of India and present-day Pakistan.
The name CHAND is often associated with the lunar deity Chandra in Hindu mythology, suggesting that it may have been initially adopted as a surname by individuals or families with a connection to lunar worship or lunar astrology. Some scholars also link the name to the ancient Indo-Aryan tribes known as the Chandravamsha or "Lunar Dynasty."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CHAND can be found in the chronicles of the Delhi Sultanate, where a prominent military commander named Malik Chand served under the reign of Sultan Iltutmish in the 13th century. Another historical figure bearing this name was Chand Bardai, a 12th-century Punjabi poet renowned for his work "Prithviraj Raso," which chronicled the life of the legendary Chauhan ruler Prithviraj Chauhan.
In the 16th century, the CHAND surname gained further prominence with the rise of the Rajput warrior clan known as the Chandelas, who ruled over the region of Bundelkhand in central India. One of the most notable rulers from this dynasty was Raja Ramchandra Chand, who reigned from 1530 to 1568.
The surname CHAND has also been associated with several notable figures in more recent history. One such individual was Sir Shankar Chand Mukherjee (1837-1908), a prominent Indian lawyer and philanthropist who played a key role in the establishment of the University of Calcutta.
Another famous bearer of the CHAND surname was Vidya Chand Naidu (1866-1905), an Indian poet, and activist who was part of the Indian independence movement. She was also the first woman Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in British India.
In the realm of sports, Sunil Chand Gavaskar (born 1949) is a celebrated former Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He held numerous batting records during his illustrious career spanning from 1971 to 1987.
While the surname CHAND has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical roots and associations with lunar deities, warrior clans, and notable personalities remain deeply embedded in its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chand
Among Census respondents with the surname Chand, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chand 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 Chand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.1% · 3,383
- White4.9% · 193
- Two or more races4.3% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 131
- Black or African American1.9% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chand
Chand 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
#11,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
+585 bearers (+26.2%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 1,483 places
2020
#7,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,976
+1,156 bearers (+41.0%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 3,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,692 | 2,235 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,209 | 2,820 | 0.96 | +585 bearers (+26.2%) | Up 1,483 places |
| 2020 | #7,991 | 3,976 | 1.33 | +1,156 bearers (+41.0%) | Up 3,218 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 Chand 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 | #11,209 | #7,991 | 28.7% |
| Count | 2,820 | 3,976 | 41.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 1.33 | 38.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chand bearers went from 2,820 to 3,976 (+41.0% change). The surname moved up 3,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,209 to #7,991.
FAQ
Chand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chand?
Name Census estimates that about 4,559 living Americans carry the surname Chand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,182 residents.
How common is Chand?
Chand ranks #7,991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,976 people with the surname Chand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,559), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chand.
Has Chand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chand went from 2,820 recorded bearers to 3,976. That is an increase of 1,156 (+41.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,209 to #7,991.
What does the Census say about the background of Chand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chand, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Chand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (3,383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.1%), White (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Chand (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 Chand mean?
A surname of Hindi origin referring to the moon, often indicating a connection to the Chand dynasty. 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 Chand (1.33 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 Chand?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.