2000
#20,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.44
Rare Last name
Chatterjee
A surname of Bengali origin denoting a wise, learned person or teacher, derived from the Sanskrit word "chattra".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,620 Americans carry the last name Chatterjee. That puts it at #9,793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,684 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chatterjee 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 Chatterjee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,684
Census rank
#9,793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,157 bearers of the surname Chatterjee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chatterjee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chatterjee
Among Census respondents with the surname Chatterjee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chatterjee 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 Chatterjee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.8% · 2,865
- White4.2% · 134
- Two or more races3.8% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chatterjee
Chatterjee 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
#13,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
+962 bearers (+80.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 6,644 places
2020
#9,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,157
+1,002 bearers (+46.5%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 4,192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,629 | 1,193 | 0.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,985 | 2,155 | 0.73 | +962 bearers (+80.6%) | Up 6,644 places |
| 2020 | #9,793 | 3,157 | 1.06 | +1,002 bearers (+46.5%) | Up 4,192 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 Chatterjee 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 | #13,985 | #9,793 | 30.0% |
| Count | 2,155 | 3,157 | 46.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 1.06 | 44.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chatterjee bearers went from 2,155 to 3,157 (+46.5% change). The surname moved up 4,192 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,985 to #9,793.
FAQ
Chatterjee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chatterjee?
Name Census estimates that about 3,620 living Americans carry the surname Chatterjee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,684 residents.
How common is Chatterjee?
Chatterjee ranks #9,793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,157 people with the surname Chatterjee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chatterjee.
Has Chatterjee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chatterjee went from 2,155 recorded bearers to 3,157. That is an increase of 1,002 (+46.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,985 to #9,793.
What does the Census say about the background of Chatterjee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chatterjee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Chatterjee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chatterjee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.8%), White (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Chatterjee (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 Chatterjee mean?
A surname of Bengali origin denoting a wise, learned person or teacher, derived from the Sanskrit word "chattra". 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 Chatterjee (1.06 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 are called Chatterjee?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Chatterjee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.