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

Chatterjee, 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 Chatterjee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chatterjee in America

Chatterjee is the 13985th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chatterjee surname appeared 2,155 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Chatterjee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chatterjee 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 Chatterjee

The surname Chatterjee originates from India, specifically the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It traces its roots back to the 13th century CE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chattri," which means an umbrella or canopy, and "jee," a suffix denoting respect. Thus, Chatterjee translates to "the umbrella holder" or "the canopy bearer."

Historically, the Chatterjee surname was associated with the Baidya caste, a community of traditional Hindu physicians and astrologers. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in ancient Bengali manuscripts and royal court records from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Chatterjee name was Sree Krishnaram Chatterjee, a renowned Bengali poet and philosopher who lived in the late 16th century. His works, particularly the "Sree Krishnakirtan," made significant contributions to the Vaishnava literary tradition.

Another notable figure was Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-1894), a celebrated Bengali writer, novelist, and essayist. He is widely regarded as a pioneering figure in Bengali literature and is considered the father of the Indian novel. His seminal work, "Anandamath," played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.

The Chatterjee surname has also been associated with several prominent scholars and intellectuals throughout history. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891), a Bengali polymath and a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance, was a Chatterjee. He was a philosopher, academic, writer, and social reformer who championed the cause of widow remarriage and women's education.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the first non-European Nobel laureate in literature, was also a Chatterjee by birth. His writings, including the famous collection of poems "Gitanjali," have had a profound impact on Indian and global literature.

Satyendra Nath Chatterjee (1882-1953) was a renowned Indian economist and statesman who served as the first Speaker of the Constituent Assembly of India. He played a crucial role in shaping the economic policies of independent India.

While the Chatterjee surname originated in Bengal, it has since spread throughout India and the world due to migration and the Indian diaspora. The name continues to be associated with intellectual and scholarly pursuits, as well as various professions and fields of endeavor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chatterjee

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!