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

Dandekar, 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 Dandekar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dandekar in America

Dandekar is the 92719th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dandekar surname appeared 198 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 Dandekar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dandekar 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 Dandekar

The surname Dandekar originated in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. It is derived from the Sanskrit words 'danda' meaning stick or staff, and 'dhara' meaning holder or bearer. The name likely referred to an occupational title for a staff-bearer or a ceremonial mace-holder in ancient times.

The earliest records of the Dandekar surname can be traced back to the 12th century during the reign of the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri (modern-day Daulatabad in Maharashtra). The name appears in various inscriptions and copper plate grants from this period, indicating it was a prominent surname among the local Marathi-speaking population.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Dandekar surname was Govind Dandekar, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 13th century. He authored several works, including the famous Sanskrit treatise 'Govind Prabhu Charitra'.

The Dandekar family played a significant role in the administrative and cultural spheres of the Maratha Empire during the 17th and 18th centuries. Malhar Ramrao Dandekar (1698-1766) was a prominent military leader and diplomat who served under the Peshwa rulers.

Another notable figure was Vishnu Vaman Dandekar (1807-1886), a renowned Marathi scholar and author who made significant contributions to the Marathi literary movement. He wrote several books on Marathi grammar, poetry, and literature.

In the 19th century, Mahadev Govind Dandekar (1846-1901) was a prominent social reformer and educationist who advocated for the upliftment of women and the lower castes in Maharashtra. He established several schools and played a vital role in promoting education among the underprivileged communities.

The Dandekar surname has also been associated with several notable individuals in modern times, such as the eminent historian Ramchandra Chintaman Dandekar (1909-2001), who specialized in ancient Indian history and culture, and the acclaimed writer and playwright Vijay Dandekar (1929-1986), known for his contributions to Marathi literature and theater.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dandekar

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

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

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

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