2000
#18,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Dutt
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "Dutta" meaning messenger or given.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,179 Americans carry the last name Dutt. That puts it at #14,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,299 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dutt 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 Dutt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,299
Census rank
#14,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,900 bearers of the surname Dutt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dutt, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.0%. The next largest groups are White (38.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dutt
The surname DUTT has its origins in India, where it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Dutt," which means "messenger" or "envoy."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DUTT can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where it was often used as a title or honorific for individuals who served as messengers or representatives of rulers and royalty.
In the northern regions of India, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the name DUTT has a strong historical presence. It was commonly associated with the Brahmin caste, which was traditionally involved in scholarly and priestly roles.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century, the DUTT surname gained prominence among scribes, bureaucrats, and administrators who worked in the imperial court.
One of the earliest known individuals with the DUTT surname was Kavindra Paramananda Dutta, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 15th century. His works, such as the "Chaitanya Chandrodaya Nataka," are still celebrated in the literary circles of Bengal.
In the 18th century, Govardhan Dutt, a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. His work, "Siddhanta-Darpana," is considered a seminal text on Indian astronomy and mathematics.
During the 19th century, the DUTT surname gained further recognition through individuals like Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-1873), a Bengali poet and dramatist who is regarded as a pioneer of Bengali literature and the Bengali Renaissance.
Another notable figure with the DUTT surname was Romesh Chunder Dutt (1848-1909), an Indian civil servant, writer, and historian who served in the Indian Civil Service under the British Raj. His works, such as "The Economic History of India," shed light on the economic and social conditions of India during the colonial period.
In the 20th century, Toru Dutt (1856-1877), a Bengali poet and novelist, became renowned for her works in English and French literature. Her book "Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan" is considered a significant contribution to the literary world.
While the DUTT surname has its roots in India, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical significance and association with scholarly and literary traditions remain deeply rooted in its Indian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dutt
Among Census respondents with the surname Dutt, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.0%. The next largest groups are White (38.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dutt 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 Dutt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander55.0% · 1,045
- White38.4% · 730
- Two or more races3.1% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 33
- Black or African American1.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dutt
Dutt 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
#17,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,622
+247 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 1,122 places
2020
#14,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,900
+278 bearers (+17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 2,452 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,520 | 1,375 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,398 | 1,622 | 0.55 | +247 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 1,122 places |
| 2020 | #14,946 | 1,900 | 0.64 | +278 bearers (+17.1%) | Up 2,452 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 Dutt 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 | #17,398 | #14,946 | 14.1% |
| Count | 1,622 | 1,900 | 17.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.64 | 15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dutt bearers went from 1,622 to 1,900 (+17.1% change). The surname moved up 2,452 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,398 to #14,946.
FAQ
Dutt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dutt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,179 living Americans carry the surname Dutt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,299 residents.
How common is Dutt?
Dutt ranks #14,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,900 people with the surname Dutt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Dutt.
Has Dutt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dutt went from 1,622 recorded bearers to 1,900. That is an increase of 278 (+17.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,398 to #14,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Dutt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dutt, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.0%. The next largest groups are White (38.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Dutt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.0% (1,045 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dutt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (55.0%), White (38.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Dutt (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 Dutt mean?
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "Dutta" meaning messenger or given. 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 Dutt (0.64 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 Dutt?
If you just want to know how common the surname Dutt is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.