2000
#89,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Chandrasekhar
An ancient surname derived from the Sanskrit words "chandra" meaning moon and "sekhar" meaning crest or crown.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 489 Americans carry the last name Chandrasekhar. That puts it at #52,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 700,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chandrasekhar 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
489
1 in 700,929
Census rank
#52,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
426
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 426 bearers of the surname Chandrasekhar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandrasekhar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chandrasekhar
The surname Chandrasekhar is of Indian origin, specifically from the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is believed to have originated around the 8th or 9th century CE during the reign of the Chola dynasty. The name is a combination of the Sanskrit words "chandra" meaning moon and "sekhar" meaning crest or crown, essentially translating to "moon-crested" or "moon-crowned."
Chandrasekhar was a popular surname among the Brahmin communities of these regions, particularly those associated with the study of astronomy and astrology. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to ancient texts and inscriptions on temple walls, where it was used to identify scholars, astronomers, and learned individuals.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Chandrasekhar is found in the Thanjavur Brahmin inscriptions, which date back to the 11th century. These inscriptions detail the contributions and achievements of various Chandrasekhar families in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy.
During the medieval period, the Chandrasekhar surname gained prominence and was associated with several notable individuals. One such individual was Chandrasekhar Acharya, a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the 14th century, who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and authored several treatises on celestial movements.
In the 16th century, another notable figure was Chandrasekhar Sivacharya, a Vedic scholar and philosopher who played a vital role in the propagation of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. His works and teachings have had a lasting impact on the spiritual and philosophical landscape of South India.
Moving forward, the surname Chandrasekhar continued to be associated with intellectual pursuits and academic excellence. In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals to bear this surname was the renowned astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995), who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his groundbreaking work on the structure and evolution of stars.
Other notable individuals with the surname Chandrasekhar include the pioneering mathematician Sivaramakrishna Chandrasekhar (1876-1971), who made significant contributions to the theory of partitions, and the distinguished author and playwright Rajaji Chandrasekhar (1895-1984), known for his literary works in Tamil and English.
While the surname Chandrasekhar has its roots in South India, it has since spread to other parts of the country and even abroad due to migration and the diaspora. However, its connection to the rich intellectual and cultural heritage of the region remains strong, reflecting the pursuit of knowledge and academic excellence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chandrasekhar
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandrasekhar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chandrasekhar 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 Chandrasekhar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 397
- Two or more races2.6% · 11
- White2.1% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chandrasekhar
Chandrasekhar 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
#61,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
+135 bearers (+70.7%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 28,310 places
2020
#52,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 426
+100 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 9,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,895 | 191 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,585 | 326 | 0.11 | +135 bearers (+70.7%) | Up 28,310 places |
| 2020 | #52,580 | 426 | 0.14 | +100 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 9,005 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 Chandrasekhar 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 | #61,585 | #52,580 | 14.6% |
| Count | 326 | 426 | 30.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.14 | 29.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chandrasekhar bearers went from 326 to 426 (+30.7% change). The surname moved up 9,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,585 to #52,580.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chandrasekhar
FAQ
Chandrasekhar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chandrasekhar?
Name Census estimates that about 489 living Americans carry the surname Chandrasekhar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 700,929 residents.
How common is Chandrasekhar?
Chandrasekhar ranks #52,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 426 people with the surname Chandrasekhar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (489), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Chandrasekhar.
Has Chandrasekhar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chandrasekhar went from 326 recorded bearers to 426. That is an increase of 100 (+30.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #61,585 to #52,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Chandrasekhar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandrasekhar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (2.1%). 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 Chandrasekhar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chandrasekhar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), White (2.1%). 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 Chandrasekhar (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 Chandrasekhar mean?
An ancient surname derived from the Sanskrit words "chandra" meaning moon and "sekhar" meaning crest or crown. 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 Chandrasekhar (0.14 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 Chandrasekhar?
Find out how many people have the surname Chandrasekhar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.