Chatha last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Chatha

A Punjabi surname derived from the Sanskrit 'Kshatriya', referring to an ancient warrior or ruling caste.

Chatha, 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 Chatha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chatha in America

Chatha is the 55741st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chatha surname appeared 368 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 Chatha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chatha 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 55741 73412 -27.36%
Count 368 246 39.74%
Proportion per 100k 0.12 0.09 28.57%

The history of the last name Chatha

The surname CHATHA has its origins in India, specifically in the northern regions of Punjab and Haryana. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 12th century CE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chath," which means "roof" or "shelter," and was likely a title or occupational descriptor given to those who worked as builders or architects.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CHATHA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several individuals with the surname, suggesting that the name was well-established in that region by that time.

During the medieval period, the CHATHA family held significant influence and landed estates in various parts of Punjab and Haryana. Historical records indicate that they were known for their contributions to architecture and construction, particularly in the building of forts, palaces, and religious structures.

One notable figure from this lineage was Rai Chatha, a renowned architect who lived in the 16th century and is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of several iconic buildings, including the Shahi Qila (Royal Fort) in Lahore, Pakistan.

Another prominent individual with the surname CHATHA was Bhai Lakhmir Singh Chatha (1784-1859), a Sikh warrior and military leader who played a crucial role in the Punjab campaigns against the British East India Company during the Anglo-Sikh Wars of the 19th century.

In the 18th century, the CHATHA family gained further prominence when Sardar Jodh Singh Chatha (1725-1786) became a prominent military leader and chieftain in the Sikh Confederacy, controlling a substantial territory in the Cis-Sutlej region of Punjab.

The name CHATHA has also been associated with literary and scholarly accomplishments. Bhai Vir Singh Chatha (1872-1957) was a renowned Sikh theologian, poet, and writer who made significant contributions to the Punjabi language and Sikh literature.

Over time, the surname CHATHA has spread beyond its traditional strongholds in Punjab and Haryana, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of India and the diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chatha

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

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 Chatha was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 3.26% 12
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 92.12% 339
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.53% 13
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Chatha has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 3.26% 2.85% 13.42%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 92.12% 81.71% 11.98%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 3.53% 14.63% -122.25%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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 Chatha was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Chatha last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 2, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/chatha-surname-popularity/.

"Chatha last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/chatha-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 December, 2024

Chatha last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/chatha-surname-popularity/.

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