2000
#5,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Uncommon Last name
Chowdhury
A surname of Indian origin, meaning "holder of four" in Sanskrit, likely referring to a high-ranking official or landlord.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,255 Americans carry the last name Chowdhury. That puts it at #1,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chowdhury 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 Chowdhury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,126
Census rank
#1,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,535 bearers of the surname Chowdhury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chowdhury, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chowdhury
The surname Chowdhury originated in the Indian subcontinent, primarily in regions that are now part of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chaudhuree," which means a feudal landlord or an influential person in a village or region.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Chowdhury can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries, during the reign of the Sena dynasty in Bengal. At that time, the Chowdhuries were influential landowners and administrators who played a significant role in the governance of rural areas.
One of the earliest known references to the name Chowdhury can be found in the Mughal administrative records from the 16th century. During the Mughal era, the Chowdhuries were recognized as influential zamindars (landowners) and were often granted titles and privileges by the Mughal emperors.
In the 18th century, the Chowdhury family gained prominence in the region of Chittagong, now part of Bangladesh. Prominent members of the family during this period include Raja Rajballabh Chowdhury (1700-1783), a powerful zamindar who played a significant role in the region's politics and administration.
Another notable figure with the surname Chowdhury was Sir Khwaja Nazim-ud-din Chowdhury (1859-1942), a prominent politician and lawyer from the Bengal region. He served as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1928 and played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
During the 20th century, several individuals with the surname Chowdhury made significant contributions in various fields. These include Amiyo Kumar Chowdhury (1913-1996), a renowned Bengali writer and novelist, and Syed Muazzem Ali Chowdhury (1925-2007), a renowned Bangladeshi diplomat and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1986 to 1988.
Vijaya Lakshmi Chowdhury (1924-2019) was an Indian social worker and political activist who fought for women's rights and played a crucial role in the Chipko movement, a non-violent ecological movement in India.
Overall, the surname Chowdhury has a rich history and has been associated with influential figures in the Indian subcontinent for several centuries, particularly in the regions of Bengal, Bangladesh, and parts of northeastern India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chowdhury
Among Census respondents with the surname Chowdhury, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chowdhury 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 Chowdhury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.6% · 17,538
- Two or more races2.0% · 367
- White1.9% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 153
- Black or African American0.6% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chowdhury
Chowdhury 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
#2,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,961
+6,196 bearers (+107.5%)
Per 100,000 4.05
Rank movement Up 2,542 places
2020
#1,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,535
+6,574 bearers (+55.0%)
Per 100,000 6.20
Rank movement Up 1,095 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,539 | 5,765 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,997 | 11,961 | 4.05 | +6,196 bearers (+107.5%) | Up 2,542 places |
| 2020 | #1,902 | 18,535 | 6.20 | +6,574 bearers (+55.0%) | Up 1,095 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 Chowdhury 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 | #2,997 | #1,902 | 36.5% |
| Count | 11,961 | 18,535 | 55.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.05 | 6.20 | 53.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chowdhury bearers went from 11,961 to 18,535 (+55.0% change). The surname moved up 1,095 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,997 to #1,902.
FAQ
Chowdhury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chowdhury?
Name Census estimates that about 21,255 living Americans carry the surname Chowdhury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,126 residents.
How common is Chowdhury?
Chowdhury ranks #1,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,535 people with the surname Chowdhury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Chowdhury.
Has Chowdhury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chowdhury went from 11,961 recorded bearers to 18,535. That is an increase of 6,574 (+55.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,997 to #1,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Chowdhury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chowdhury, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.9%). 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 Chowdhury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (17,538 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chowdhury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.0%), White (1.9%). 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 Chowdhury (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 Chowdhury mean?
A surname of Indian origin, meaning "holder of four" in Sanskrit, likely referring to a high-ranking official or landlord. 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 Chowdhury (6.20 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 Chowdhury?
You can see how common the surname Chowdhury is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.