2000
#30,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Rare Last name
Chokshi
A surname of Indian origin meaning "a merchant or trader".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,545 Americans carry the last name Chokshi. That puts it at #19,987 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 221,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chokshi 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 Chokshi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 221,847
Census rank
#19,987
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,347 bearers of the surname Chokshi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19987th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chokshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chokshi
The surname Chokshi originates from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the western Indian state of Gujarat. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Chokshi is derived from the Sanskrit word "choksha," which means "watchful" or "vigilant." It was likely initially used as an occupational surname for those who worked as guards, sentries, or watchmen. Over time, it became a hereditary family name passed down through generations.
In historical records, the name Chokshi can be found in various ancient manuscripts and documents from the Gujarat region. One notable mention is in the Lekhapaddhati, a 15th-century text on letter-writing and documentation, where the name is spelled as "Chokshee."
The earliest recorded examples of the Chokshi name can be traced back to the 16th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Shantidas Chokshi, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Surat during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556-1605).
Another prominent figure in history was Ranchhodlal Chhotalal Chokshi (1846-1923), a renowned Indian businessman and philanthropist from Gujarat. He established several educational institutions and played a significant role in the development of the city of Ahmedabad.
Mohanlal Chokshi (1880-1967) was an influential Indian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Bombay Legislative Council and was actively involved in the Indian independence movement. He was also a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.
Purushottam Laxmichand Chokshi (1900-1982) was a distinguished Indian economist and statistician. He served as the first Indian director of the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute and made significant contributions to the field of statistics and economic planning.
Lastly, Jagdish Chokshi (1932-2017) was a prominent Indian-American scientist and engineer. He played a pivotal role in the development of the Apollo Lunar Module and was instrumental in the success of the Apollo space program that landed humans on the Moon.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Chokshi who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, reflecting the rich heritage and significance of this Indian surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chokshi
Among Census respondents with the surname Chokshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Chokshi 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 Chokshi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.9% · 1,265
- White3.1% · 42
- Two or more races2.2% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chokshi
Chokshi 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
#22,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,131
+396 bearers (+53.9%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 7,418 places
2020
#19,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,347
+216 bearers (+19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 2,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,091 | 735 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,673 | 1,131 | 0.38 | +396 bearers (+53.9%) | Up 7,418 places |
| 2020 | #19,987 | 1,347 | 0.45 | +216 bearers (+19.1%) | Up 2,686 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 Chokshi 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 | #22,673 | #19,987 | 11.8% |
| Count | 1,131 | 1,347 | 19.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.45 | 18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chokshi bearers went from 1,131 to 1,347 (+19.1% change). The surname moved up 2,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,673 to #19,987.
FAQ
Chokshi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chokshi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,545 living Americans carry the surname Chokshi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 221,847 residents.
How common is Chokshi?
Chokshi ranks #19,987 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,347 people with the surname Chokshi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Chokshi.
Has Chokshi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chokshi went from 1,131 recorded bearers to 1,347. That is an increase of 216 (+19.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,673 to #19,987.
What does the Census say about the background of Chokshi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chokshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Chokshi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (1,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chokshi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.9%), White (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Chokshi (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 Chokshi mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning "a merchant or trader". 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 Chokshi (0.45 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 Chokshi?
Find out how many people have the surname Chokshi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.