2000
#7,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Uncommon Last name
Gandhi
A surname of Indian origin referring to a person who sells groceries or owns a grocery store.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,467 Americans carry the last name Gandhi. That puts it at #3,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,746 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gandhi 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 Gandhi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,746
Census rank
#3,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,128 bearers of the surname Gandhi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandhi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gandhi
The surname Gandhi originated in India and is derived from the Sanskrit word "gandha" which means "aroma" or "fragrance." It is believed to have first appeared around the 15th century in the northern Indian state of Gujarat.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gandhi can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was found in various historical records and manuscripts from the region. One notable example is the mention of a merchant named Gandhi in the chronicles of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Akbar the Great in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Gandhi was associated with several prominent figures in the region, including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a renowned political and spiritual leader who played a pivotal role in India's independence movement. He was born in 1869 and passed away in 1948.
Another notable figure with the surname Gandhi was Indira Gandhi, the first female Prime Minister of India. She was born in 1917 and served as the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.
The name Gandhi has also been linked to various place names in India, particularly in the state of Gujarat. For instance, the town of Gandhinagar, which is the capital of Gujarat, is believed to have derived its name from the surname Gandhi.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gandhi throughout history include Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India and son of Indira Gandhi, who served from 1984 to 1989. Feroze Gandhi, the husband of Indira Gandhi and a prominent politician in his own right, was also a bearer of this surname.
It is worth noting that while the surname Gandhi has its roots in India, it has become a globally recognized name due to the influence and legacy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gandhi
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandhi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gandhi 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 Gandhi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 8,510
- White3.0% · 271
- Two or more races2.2% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 74
- Black or African American0.4% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gandhi
Gandhi 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
#5,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,721
+2,506 bearers (+59.5%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Up 2,093 places
2020
#3,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,128
+2,407 bearers (+35.8%)
Per 100,000 3.05
Rank movement Up 1,401 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,292 | 4,215 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,199 | 6,721 | 2.28 | +2,506 bearers (+59.5%) | Up 2,093 places |
| 2020 | #3,798 | 9,128 | 3.05 | +2,407 bearers (+35.8%) | Up 1,401 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 Gandhi 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 | #5,199 | #3,798 | 26.9% |
| Count | 6,721 | 9,128 | 35.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 3.05 | 33.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gandhi bearers went from 6,721 to 9,128 (+35.8% change). The surname moved up 1,401 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,199 to #3,798.
FAQ
Gandhi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gandhi?
Name Census estimates that about 10,467 living Americans carry the surname Gandhi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,746 residents.
How common is Gandhi?
Gandhi ranks #3,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,128 people with the surname Gandhi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gandhi.
Has Gandhi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gandhi went from 6,721 recorded bearers to 9,128. That is an increase of 2,407 (+35.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,199 to #3,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Gandhi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandhi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gandhi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (8,510 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gandhi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), White (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gandhi (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 Gandhi mean?
A surname of Indian origin referring to a person who sells groceries or owns a grocery store. 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 Gandhi (3.05 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 Gandhi?
Want to know how many people have the surname Gandhi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.