2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Choka
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked with cows or cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Choka. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Choka 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.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Choka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Choka, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.3%) and Two or More Races (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Choka
The surname CHOKA has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically the regions of modern-day India and Pakistan. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 15th century, during the height of the Mughal Empire.
The name CHOKA is derived from the Sanskrit word 'chokha,' which means 'pure' or 'unblemished.' This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term used to refer to individuals of high moral character or those with a clean reputation.
One of the earliest known references to the surname CHOKA can be found in the chronicles of the Mughal court, where it is mentioned in connection with a prominent family that served as advisors to the emperors. However, the exact details of this family's history have been lost to time.
In the 17th century, a notable individual named Choka Rai rose to prominence as a respected scholar and poet in the court of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Rai's works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the wisdom of ancient Indian philosophers, earned him widespread acclaim and cemented the CHOKA name in the annals of Mughal literature.
During the British colonial period, the CHOKA surname began to appear more frequently in official records and documents. One such example is Hari Choka, a wealthy landowner from the province of Punjab, who was born in 1789 and played a pivotal role in negotiating land treaties between the British East India Company and local rulers.
In the 20th century, the CHOKA name gained further recognition through the achievements of Indira Choka, a pioneering educator who established several schools for underprivileged children in the city of Kolkata. Born in 1912, Choka dedicated her life to promoting literacy and empowering marginalized communities through education.
Another notable figure bearing the CHOKA surname is Jaswant Choka, a renowned classical musician who popularized the sarod, a stringed instrument central to the Hindustani classical music tradition. Born in 1928, Choka's virtuosity and innovative playing style earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
While the CHOKA surname may not be as widespread as some other Indian names, its legacy is deeply rooted in the rich cultural tapestry of the subcontinent, with a history that spans centuries and encompasses various fields, from literature and education to music and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Choka
Among Census respondents with the surname Choka, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.3%) and Two or More Races (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Choka 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 Choka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 76
- Black or African American18.3% · 19
- Two or more races7.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Choka
Choka 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,007 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 22,007 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 2,454 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 Choka 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 | #156,044 | #153,590 | 1.6% |
| Count | 104 | 104 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Choka bearers went from 104 to 104 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 2,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #153,590.
FAQ
Choka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Choka?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Choka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Choka?
Choka ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Choka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Choka.
Has Choka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Choka went from 104 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Choka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Choka, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.3%) and Two or More Races (7.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Choka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Choka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Black (18.3%), Two or More Races (7.7%). 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 Choka (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 Choka mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked with cows or cattle. 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 Choka (0.03 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 Choka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.