2000
#64,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Chugh
A surname indicating the person is of Khatri descent, a merchant caste from Punjab region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 824 Americans carry the last name Chugh. That puts it at #34,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 415,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chugh 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
824
1 in 415,964
Census rank
#34,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
719
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 719 bearers of the surname Chugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chugh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chugh
The surname "Chugh" is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern regions of Punjab and Haryana. It is considered to be a Hindu Khatri or Bania (merchant) surname.
The name "Chugh" is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Chugh," meaning "parrot" or "bird." This connection suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with the trade or keeping of parrots or had some other association with birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Chugh" can be found in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname "Chugh" who held prominent positions within the Mughal administration.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname "Chugh" was Bhai Mati Das Chugh, a revered Sikh warrior and one of the five beloved ones of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru. Bhai Mati Das Chugh was born in 1655 and was martyred in 1675 for his unwavering faith and principles.
Another prominent individual with the surname "Chugh" was Lala Lajpat Rai Chugh, a prominent Indian freedom fighter, politician, and author. He was born in 1865 and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement, becoming known as one of the "Lal Bal Pal" triumvirate alongside Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal.
In more recent history, Dr. Sampooran Singh Chugh was a renowned Indian cardiologist and the founder of the All India Heart Foundation. He was born in 1914 and made significant contributions to the field of cardiology, earning him numerous accolades and honors.
Vijay Chugh was an Indian business tycoon and industrialist who founded the Chugh Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests in real estate, hospitality, and infrastructure. He was born in 1938 and played a significant role in the development of urban infrastructure in various parts of India.
The surname "Chugh" has also been associated with various place names in the Indian subcontinent, such as Chughrana, a village in the Sirsa district of Haryana, and Chughpur, a town in the Jalandhar district of Punjab.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Chugh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chugh 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 Chugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.4% · 643
- White5.7% · 41
- Two or more races4.3% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chugh
Chugh 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
#45,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 473
+184 bearers (+63.7%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 19,132 places
2020
#34,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 719
+246 bearers (+52.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 11,230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #64,385 | 289 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,253 | 473 | 0.16 | +184 bearers (+63.7%) | Up 19,132 places |
| 2020 | #34,023 | 719 | 0.24 | +246 bearers (+52.0%) | Up 11,230 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 Chugh 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 | #45,253 | #34,023 | 24.8% |
| Count | 473 | 719 | 52.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.24 | 50.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chugh bearers went from 473 to 719 (+52.0% change). The surname moved up 11,230 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,253 to #34,023.
FAQ
Chugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chugh?
Name Census estimates that about 824 living Americans carry the surname Chugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 415,964 residents.
How common is Chugh?
Chugh ranks #34,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 719 people with the surname Chugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Chugh.
Has Chugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chugh went from 473 recorded bearers to 719. That is an increase of 246 (+52.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,253 to #34,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Chugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chugh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Chugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (643 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.4%), White (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Chugh (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 Chugh mean?
A surname indicating the person is of Khatri descent, a merchant caste from Punjab region. 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 Chugh (0.24 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 common is the surname Chugh?
You can see how common the surname Chugh is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.