2000
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Chandra
A surname of Sanskrit origin meaning "moon," referring to the luminous celestial object visible in the night sky.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,175 Americans carry the last name Chandra. That puts it at #7,133 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,233 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chandra 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 Chandra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,233
Census rank
#7,133
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,513 bearers of the surname Chandra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7133rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chandra
The surname Chandra is believed to have originated in India, where it is a common name among the Hindu community. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chandra," which means "moon" or "bright." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals with a bright or radiant appearance, or perhaps to those born under a full moon.
Chandra is an ancient name that can be traced back to the Vedic period, around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. During this time, the name appeared in various Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Rigveda and the Mahabharata. It was also associated with the Hindu god of the moon, Chandra Deva, who was revered in ancient Indian mythology.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chandra can be found in the Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy, written around the 4th century BCE by Kautilya, also known as Chanakya. The text mentions several individuals with the name Chandra, suggesting that it was a common name during that period.
In the medieval era, the name Chandra gained prominence among the ruling dynasties of India. Notable figures bearing this surname include Chandragupta Maurya (340 BCE – 298 BCE), the founder of the Maurya Empire, and Chandra Gupta II (380 CE – 415 CE), an emperor of the Gupta Empire, considered one of the Golden Ages of India.
Another famous individual with the surname Chandra was Somanatha Chandra, a Bengali poet and philosopher who lived in the 16th century. His work, "Shri Krishna Vijaya," is considered a masterpiece of Bengali literature and a significant contribution to the Vaishnava tradition.
In more recent history, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910 – 1995), an Indian-American astrophysicist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his groundbreaking work on the theoretical structure and evolution of stars. His contributions to the field of astrophysics are widely recognized and celebrated.
Chandra Shekhar Azad (1906 – 1931) was an Indian revolutionary who played a pivotal role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. He was a charismatic leader and a prominent figure in the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), known for his daring actions and unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom.
While the surname Chandra has its roots in India, it has also found its way into other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. The name has been adopted by individuals of various ethnicities and nationalities, reflecting the rich diversity and global reach of Indian culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chandra
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Chandra 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 Chandra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.4% · 4,034
- White4.4% · 200
- Two or more races4.0% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 55
- Black or African American0.8% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chandra
Chandra 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
#8,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,645
+1,217 bearers (+50.1%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 2,841 places
2020
#7,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,513
+868 bearers (+23.8%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 1,844 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,818 | 2,428 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,977 | 3,645 | 1.24 | +1,217 bearers (+50.1%) | Up 2,841 places |
| 2020 | #7,133 | 4,513 | 1.51 | +868 bearers (+23.8%) | Up 1,844 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 Chandra 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 | #8,977 | #7,133 | 20.5% |
| Count | 3,645 | 4,513 | 23.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.51 | 21.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chandra bearers went from 3,645 to 4,513 (+23.8% change). The surname moved up 1,844 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,977 to #7,133.
FAQ
Chandra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chandra?
Name Census estimates that about 5,175 living Americans carry the surname Chandra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,233 residents.
How common is Chandra?
Chandra ranks #7,133 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,513 people with the surname Chandra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chandra.
Has Chandra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chandra went from 3,645 recorded bearers to 4,513. That is an increase of 868 (+23.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,977 to #7,133.
What does the Census say about the background of Chandra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Chandra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (4,034 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chandra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.4%), White (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Chandra (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 Chandra mean?
A surname of Sanskrit origin meaning "moon," referring to the luminous celestial object visible in the night sky. 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 Chandra (1.51 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 Chandra?
Find out how many people have the last name Chandra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.