Find out how popular the last name Char is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Char.

Char, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Char surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Char in America

Char is the 27845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Char surname appeared 862 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Char.

We can also compare 2010 data for Char to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Char

The surname CHAR has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of Punjab and Haryana. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'char,' which means 'to wander' or 'to roam.'

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CHAR can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions a village called 'Charnagar,' which translates to 'the town of wanderers' or 'the town of nomads.'

In the 17th century, the CHAR surname appeared in the records of the East India Company, as several individuals with this surname were employed as traders and soldiers. One notable figure was Hari Singh CHAR (1650-1721), a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the CHAR surname gained prominence in the regions of Punjab and Haryana, with several families establishing themselves as influential landowners and community leaders. One such figure was Ranjit Singh CHAR (1780-1839), a powerful chieftain and ruler of the Sikh Empire.

In the late 19th century, the CHAR surname began to spread beyond the Indian subcontinent as individuals migrated to other parts of the British Empire and the world. One notable example is Karam CHAR (1865-1946), a businessman and philanthropist who settled in Fiji and played a significant role in the development of the Indian diaspora community there.

Another individual of note is Sardar Bahadur Sir Sobha Singh CHAR (1890-1968), a distinguished lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court and later as a judge in the Federal Court of Pakistan.

Throughout history, the CHAR surname has been associated with a spirit of wandering and exploration, reflecting the nomadic roots of its bearers. While the name has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Char

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Char.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Char was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Char has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Char was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Char, please contact us.

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