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

Chaudhry, 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 Chaudhry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chaudhry in America

Chaudhry is the 5697th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chaudhry surname appeared 6,084 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Chaudhry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chaudhry 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 Chaudhry

The surname Chaudhry originated in India during the 12th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Chaudhari' which means a holder or headman of a small area of land. The name is associated with the northern states of India, particularly Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab.

In the medieval period, the Chaudhrys were often landowners or village chiefs who held significant influence in their respective communities. They played a crucial role in the administration and governance of rural areas, acting as intermediaries between the ruling authorities and the local populace.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chaudhry can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several Chaudhrys who held important positions in the imperial administration.

A notable figure bearing the surname Chaudhry was Raja Todar Mal Chaudhry (1530-1589), a renowned finance minister and revenue officer during the reign of Akbar. He is credited with reforming the complex revenue system of the Mughal Empire and introducing measures to improve agricultural productivity.

Another prominent Chaudhry was Dewan Ranjit Singh Chaudhry (1772-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire in the Punjab region. He unified the Sikh confederacies and established a powerful kingdom that stretched across modern-day Pakistan and parts of northern India.

In the 19th century, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Chaudhry (1817-1898), a renowned Muslim philosopher, educator, and social reformer, worked tirelessly to promote modern education among the Muslim community in India. He founded the prestigious Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, now known as the Aligarh Muslim University.

During the Indian independence movement, Lala Lajpat Rai Chaudhry (1865-1928) was a prominent freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress. He played a pivotal role in advocating for India's independence from British rule and is remembered as one of the "Lal Bal Pal" trio, along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal.

In more recent times, Charan Singh Chaudhry (1902-1987) was a prominent politician and former Prime Minister of India. He championed the cause of farmers and rural communities, advocating for land reforms and the empowerment of the agricultural sector.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chaudhry

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

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

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

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