2000
#8,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Chaudhry
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "one who serves" or "one who leads," often indicating a position of authority.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,362 Americans carry the last name Chaudhry. That puts it at #4,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,990 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chaudhry 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 Chaudhry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,990
Census rank
#4,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,292 bearers of the surname Chaudhry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaudhry, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chaudhry
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaudhry, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chaudhry 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 Chaudhry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.9% · 6,559
- White4.0% · 294
- Two or more races3.6% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 135
- Black or African American0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chaudhry
Chaudhry 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
#5,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,084
+2,409 bearers (+65.6%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Up 2,592 places
2020
#4,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,292
+1,208 bearers (+19.9%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Up 988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,289 | 3,675 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,697 | 6,084 | 2.06 | +2,409 bearers (+65.6%) | Up 2,592 places |
| 2020 | #4,709 | 7,292 | 2.44 | +1,208 bearers (+19.9%) | Up 988 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 Chaudhry 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 | #5,697 | #4,709 | 17.3% |
| Count | 6,084 | 7,292 | 19.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 2.44 | 18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chaudhry bearers went from 6,084 to 7,292 (+19.9% change). The surname moved up 988 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,697 to #4,709.
FAQ
Chaudhry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chaudhry?
Name Census estimates that about 8,362 living Americans carry the surname Chaudhry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,990 residents.
How common is Chaudhry?
Chaudhry ranks #4,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,292 people with the surname Chaudhry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chaudhry.
Has Chaudhry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chaudhry went from 6,084 recorded bearers to 7,292. That is an increase of 1,208 (+19.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,697 to #4,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Chaudhry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaudhry, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Chaudhry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (6,559 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chaudhry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.9%), White (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Chaudhry (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 Chaudhry mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "one who serves" or "one who leads," often indicating a position of authority. 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 Chaudhry (2.44 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 Americans have the surname Chaudhry?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.