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

Gajjar, 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 Gajjar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gajjar in America

Gajjar is the 41426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gajjar surname appeared 525 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 Gajjar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gajjar 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 Gajjar

The surname Gajjar has its origins in India, specifically in the northwestern regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is believed to have emerged around the 8th century CE during the reign of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty.

The name Gajjar is derived from the Sanskrit word "gaja," which means elephant. It is believed that the Gajjar community was once involved in elephant trading or elephant keeping, which led to their association with this name.

Historical records suggest that the Gajjars were a prominent community in the medieval period, and they played a significant role in various military campaigns and local governance. Some early references to the Gajjar name can be found in inscriptions and manuscripts from the Pratihara and Chauhan periods.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Gajjar name is found in the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed in the 12th century CE. It tells the story of Prithviraj Chauhan, a famous Rajput king, and references the Gajjars as allies in his military campaigns.

In the 14th century, the Gajjar community gained prominence under the Delhi Sultanate, with many Gajjars holding important positions in the administration and military. One notable figure was Malik Ghazi Beg Gajjar, a prominent military commander who served under Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the mid-14th century.

During the Mughal period, the Gajjars played a significant role in the Mughal army and were often employed as elephant handlers and cavalry troops. Gajjar chieftains like Raja Rai Singh Gajjar (1590-1666) and Raja Ram Singh Gajjar (1623-1688) were renowned for their loyalty and military service to the Mughal emperors.

In the 18th century, the Gajjar community established their own princely state, known as the Gajjar Kingdom or the Bharatpur State, in the region of present-day Rajasthan. The Gajjar rulers, such as Maharaja Suraj Mal (1707-1763) and Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1778-1805), were known for their military prowess and administrative skills.

Other notable figures with the Gajjar surname include Devi Singh Gajjar (1672-1723), a military commander who served under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and Maharaja Balwant Singh Gajjar (1838-1868), the ruler of the Bharatpur State during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gajjar

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

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

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

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