2000
#41,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Rare Last name
Deshmukh
A surname indicating a government revenue officer or tax collector position.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,433 Americans carry the last name Deshmukh. That puts it at #13,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deshmukh 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 Deshmukh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,877
Census rank
#13,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,122 bearers of the surname Deshmukh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshmukh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deshmukh
The surname Deshmukh originated in India and is derived from the Sanskrit words "Desh" meaning "country" and "Mukh" meaning "head" or "chief". It was a title bestowed upon the administrators or governors of districts during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the Deshmukh surname can be traced back to the 12th century, during the reign of the Yadava dynasty in the Deccan region of India. The Deshmukhs held significant administrative and military powers in their respective territories.
One of the most notable figures in history associated with this surname was Sardar Malharrao Deshmukh (1694-1772), a prominent military leader who played a crucial role in the Maratha Empire's expansion under Peshwa Bajirao I.
Another prominent Deshmukh was Gopalrao Deshmukh (1823-1892), a social reformer and educationist who established the first girls' school in Pune and worked towards the upliftment of women's education in Maharashtra.
Gangadhar Madhukar Deshmukh (1892-1975), a distinguished jurist, served as a judge in the Bombay High Court and later as a member of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
In the 20th century, Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh (1896-1982) was an influential economist and statesman who served as the first Indian Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1943 to 1949.
The renowned playwright and actor, Vijay Tendulkar (1928-2008), whose birth name was Vijay Govind Dhond, later adopted the surname Deshmukh and contributed significantly to the Marathi theatre and cinema.
While the Deshmukh surname has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has now spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its historical significance remains deeply rooted in the administrative and cultural heritage of medieval India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deshmukh
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshmukh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Deshmukh 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 Deshmukh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.9% · 2,014
- White2.4% · 51
- Two or more races2.1% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deshmukh
Deshmukh 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
#22,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,157
+666 bearers (+135.6%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 19,441 places
2020
#13,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,122
+965 bearers (+83.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 8,607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,722 | 491 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,281 | 1,157 | 0.39 | +666 bearers (+135.6%) | Up 19,441 places |
| 2020 | #13,674 | 2,122 | 0.71 | +965 bearers (+83.4%) | Up 8,607 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 Deshmukh 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 | #22,281 | #13,674 | 38.6% |
| Count | 1,157 | 2,122 | 83.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.71 | 82.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deshmukh bearers went from 1,157 to 2,122 (+83.4% change). The surname moved up 8,607 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,281 to #13,674.
FAQ
Deshmukh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deshmukh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,433 living Americans carry the surname Deshmukh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,877 residents.
How common is Deshmukh?
Deshmukh ranks #13,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,122 people with the surname Deshmukh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Deshmukh.
Has Deshmukh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deshmukh went from 1,157 recorded bearers to 2,122. That is an increase of 965 (+83.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,281 to #13,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Deshmukh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deshmukh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Deshmukh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (2,014 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deshmukh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.9%), White (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Deshmukh (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 Deshmukh mean?
A surname indicating a government revenue officer or tax collector position. 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 Deshmukh (0.71 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 Deshmukh?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Deshmukh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.