2000
#49,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Rare Last name
Dhingra
A Hindu surname referring to a trader, merchant, or banker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,160 Americans carry the last name Dhingra. That puts it at #25,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 295,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dhingra 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 Dhingra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 295,478
Census rank
#25,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,012 bearers of the surname Dhingra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dhingra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dhingra
The surname DHINGRA originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern regions of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'dhing', which means 'proud' or 'arrogant'. The earliest records of this surname can be traced back to the 12th century during the reign of the Delhi Sultanate.
The DHINGRA name was initially associated with the Khatri caste, a community of traders and merchants. They were known for their business acumen and played a significant role in the economic prosperity of medieval India. As the Khatri community migrated and settled in different parts of the subcontinent, the DHINGRA surname spread across various regions.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Govardhan Das DHINGRA was a renowned poet and scholar who authored several literary works in the Braj Bhasha dialect. His contributions to the Indian literary tradition brought recognition to the DHINGRA name during that era.
The DHINGRA surname also gained prominence during the Indian independence movement in the early 20th century. Madanlal DHINGRA (1883-1909), a revolutionary and Indian nationalist, was executed by the British authorities for his involvement in the assassination of Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, an aide to the Secretary of State for India.
Another notable figure was Jaswant Rai DHINGRA (1871-1927), a lawyer and an advocate of social reforms. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the Khatri Mahasabha, an organization dedicated to the welfare and upliftment of the Khatri community.
In the realm of sports, Bishan Singh DHINGRA (1916-1995) was a celebrated field hockey player who represented India in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and won a gold medal. He was later awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for his contributions to the sport.
The DHINGRA surname has also been associated with various place names in India, such as Dhingra Garhi, a village in the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhingra Colony, a residential area in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dhingra
Among Census respondents with the surname Dhingra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dhingra 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 Dhingra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.5% · 946
- White3.0% · 30
- Two or more races2.1% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dhingra
Dhingra 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
#31,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 734
+336 bearers (+84.4%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 18,047 places
2020
#25,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,012
+278 bearers (+37.9%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 5,958 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,563 | 398 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,516 | 734 | 0.25 | +336 bearers (+84.4%) | Up 18,047 places |
| 2020 | #25,558 | 1,012 | 0.34 | +278 bearers (+37.9%) | Up 5,958 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 Dhingra 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 | #31,516 | #25,558 | 18.9% |
| Count | 734 | 1,012 | 37.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.34 | 35.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dhingra bearers went from 734 to 1,012 (+37.9% change). The surname moved up 5,958 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,516 to #25,558.
FAQ
Dhingra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dhingra?
Name Census estimates that about 1,160 living Americans carry the surname Dhingra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 295,478 residents.
How common is Dhingra?
Dhingra ranks #25,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,012 people with the surname Dhingra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,160), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Dhingra.
Has Dhingra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dhingra went from 734 recorded bearers to 1,012. That is an increase of 278 (+37.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #31,516 to #25,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Dhingra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dhingra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) 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 Dhingra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dhingra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.5%), White (3.0%), 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 Dhingra (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 Dhingra mean?
A Hindu surname referring to a trader, merchant, or banker. 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 Dhingra (0.34 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 Dhingra?
Want to know how many people are called Dhingra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.