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

Choudhary, 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 Choudhary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Choudhary in America

Choudhary is the 18262nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Choudhary surname appeared 1,521 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Choudhary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Choudhary 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 Choudhary

The surname Choudhary originated from the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern regions of India and Pakistan. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chaudhari," which means "leader" or "headman" of a village or a larger territory. This surname has a long history dating back to ancient times when it was used to denote the chief or the head of a particular area or community.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Choudhary can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and historical texts, where it was mentioned as a title or a designation for local leaders and administrators. Over time, the title became hereditary, and it transformed into a surname that was passed down from generation to generation.

One of the earliest known references to the name Choudhary can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It mentions several individuals with the surname Choudhary who held prominent positions in the imperial administration.

During the medieval period, the Choudhary surname was particularly prevalent among the Rajput clans of northern India. Many Rajput rulers and warriors bore this surname, including Maharaja Choudhary Harbans Lal (1735-1789), who ruled the princely state of Jaipur in the 18th century.

Another notable individual with the Choudhary surname was Devi Datt Choudhary (1822-1894), a renowned Indian scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the field of Hindi literature. He authored several books and translations, and his works played a crucial role in the promotion and preservation of the Hindi language.

In the modern era, one of the most famous individuals with the Choudhary surname is Sir Chaudhary Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), a renowned philosopher, poet, and politician from British India. He is widely regarded as the spiritual father of Pakistan and is celebrated for his literary works, including the famous "Shikwa" and "Khizr-e-Rah."

Other notable individuals with the Choudhary surname include Jagjit Singh Choudhary (1938-2011), a legendary Indian ghazal singer who popularized the genre both in India and abroad, and Anuja Choudhary, an Indian film actress known for her roles in several Bollywood and regional language films.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Choudhary

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

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

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

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