2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Desikan
An Indian surname referring to a person from the village of Desika.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Desikan. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desikan 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Desikan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desikan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desikan
The surname Desikan originates from South India, specifically the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a Tamil name that can be traced back to the 7th century CE. The name is derived from the Tamil word "Desikar," which means "teacher" or "preceptor." It was likely given to individuals who were respected scholars or spiritual leaders in their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Desikan can be found in the works of the revered Tamil philosopher and poet, Thiruvalluvar, who lived between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. His seminal work, the Thirukkural, mentions the term "Desikar" in reference to wise teachers and learned individuals.
During the Chola dynasty, which ruled over large parts of South India from the 9th to the 13th centuries, the name Desikan gained prominence. Several scholarly and literary figures from this period bore this surname, including Vedanta Desikan (1268-1369), a prominent Vaishnavite philosopher and the founder of the Sri Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
Another notable figure with the surname Desikan was Appayya Dikshitar (1520-1593), a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and poet who authored several works on Hindu philosophy and theology. His contributions to the study of the Vedas and the Upanishads were significant.
In the 18th century, Srinivasa Desikan (1684-1783) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Tamil Nadu. He made important contributions to the field of calculus and is credited with developing the concept of infinitesimals before Newton and Leibniz.
Thayumanavar (1706-1743), also known as Thayumanavar Desikan, was a Tamil mystic and poet whose works on Shaiva philosophy and spirituality have had a lasting impact on Tamil literature and culture.
Throughout history, the surname Desikan has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including philosophy, literature, mathematics, and spirituality. The name carries a legacy of scholarship and intellectual pursuit, reflecting the Tamil cultural values of education and enlightenment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desikan
Among Census respondents with the surname Desikan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Desikan 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 Desikan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.8% · 114
- White1.7% · 2
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desikan
Desikan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+13 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 10,981 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 Desikan 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 | #153,769 | #142,788 | 7.1% |
| Count | 106 | 119 | 12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desikan bearers went from 106 to 119 (+12.3% change). The surname moved up 10,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #142,788.
FAQ
Desikan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desikan?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Desikan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Desikan?
Desikan ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Desikan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Desikan.
Has Desikan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desikan went from 106 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 13 (+12.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Desikan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desikan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Desikan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desikan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.8%), White (1.7%), Black (1.7%). 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 Desikan (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 Desikan mean?
An Indian surname referring to a person from the village of Desika. 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 Desikan (0.04 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 have the last name Desikan?
See how many Americans have the surname Desikan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.