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

Chatterji, 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 Chatterji surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chatterji in America

Chatterji is the 107134th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chatterji surname appeared 166 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 Chatterji.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chatterji 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 Chatterji

The surname Chatterji is of Indian origin, originating from the Bengal region of eastern India during the medieval period. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'chattri', meaning an umbrella or parasol, and 'ji', an honorific suffix commonly used in Bengali names.

This surname is closely associated with the Bengali Kayastha caste, a community historically engaged in clerical and administrative roles. The name Chatterji likely referred to those who carried umbrellas or parasols, a symbol of status and authority in ancient India.

One of the earliest documented references to the Chatterji surname can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. This text mentions several individuals with the Chatterji surname holding important administrative positions in the empire.

In the 18th century, the Chatterji surname gained prominence with individuals such as Raj Chatterji (1724-1801), a noted Bengali philosopher and scholar who contributed significantly to the revival of Sanskrit literature and philosophy during the Bengal Renaissance.

Another notable figure was Bankim Chandra Chatterji (1838-1894), a celebrated Bengali writer and novelist, widely regarded as a pioneer of modern Bengali literature. His novel "Anandamath" played a crucial role in shaping the Indian independence movement and the composition of the national song "Vande Mataram".

The Chatterji surname has also been associated with several accomplished individuals in various fields, including Satyajit Ray Chatterji (1921-1992), the renowned Indian filmmaker and recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Honorary Award and the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, also had the surname Chatterji, although it was often omitted or abbreviated in his published works.

Other notable individuals with the Chatterji surname include Bankim Chandra Chatterji (1853-1920), a distinguished lawyer and judge in British India, and Gayatri Chatterji (1913-1995), a renowned Indian writer and educator who received the Sahitya Akademi Award for her literary contributions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chatterji

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chatterji, 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!