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

Choksi, 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 Choksi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Choksi in America

Choksi is the 44109th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Choksi surname appeared 488 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 Choksi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Choksi 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 Choksi

The surname Choksi is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the western state of Gujarat. It is thought to derive from the Sanskrit word "Choksha," which means "pure" or "noble." The name's roots can be traced back to ancient times, possibly as far as the 6th century BCE.

Historically, the Choksi surname was prevalent among the Bania caste, a community of traders and merchants. As early as the 12th century, records show Choksi families establishing trade routes across the Indian Ocean, reaching as far as Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

One of the earliest documented references to the Choksi name can be found in the Lekhapaddhati, a 13th-century text on letter writing, which mentions a wealthy merchant named Shantidas Choksi. Additionally, the Choksis are mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century chronicle of Akbar's reign, as prominent traders in the Mughal Empire.

Notable Choksis throughout history include Shantidas Zaveri Choksi (1820-1892), a prominent philanthropist and founder of the Shri Jagannath Mandir in Ahmedabad, and Vijayrai Vallabhdas Choksi (1850-1923), a successful industrialist and one of the founders of the Ahmedabad Cotton Mills.

Another influential figure was Shamaldhari Laxmidas Choksi (1859-1935), a renowned scholar and author who wrote extensively on Jain philosophy and literature. His works, such as the Jain Sahitya Samshaya Samadhan and Jain Dharma Pravesh Parichay, are still widely studied.

In more recent times, Narayan Shridhar Choksi (1917-1998) was a distinguished Indian diplomat who served as India's Ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union. He played a crucial role in shaping India's foreign policy during his tenure.

Lastly, Govind Hari Choksi (1933-2021) was a prominent Indian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Choksi Group, a multinational conglomerate with interests in various sectors, including diamonds, real estate, and finance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Choksi

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

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

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

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