2000
#38,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Ganesan
A surname of Indian origin meaning the servant or devotee of Lord Ganesha.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,131 Americans carry the last name Ganesan. That puts it at #15,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ganesan 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 Ganesan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,842
Census rank
#15,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,858 bearers of the surname Ganesan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganesan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ganesan
The surname Ganesan is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil language and culture. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of India, particularly in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, several centuries ago.
The name Ganesan is derived from the Hindu deity Ganesha, who is revered as the remover of obstacles and the lord of beginnings. Ganesha is one of the most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon, and the name Ganesan is a patronymic form, indicating a devotee or follower of Ganesha.
Historical records show that the name Ganesan appeared in ancient Tamil literature, such as the Sangam era poetry and inscriptions from the Pallava and Chola dynasties, which ruled parts of southern India between the 3rd and 13th centuries CE. These inscriptions often mentioned individuals with the name Ganesan, indicating their social status, professions, or religious affiliations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ganesan can be found in the Vaishnava literature of the 7th century CE, where a poet and scholar named Ganesan Bhatta is mentioned. He is believed to have been a contemporary of the famous Tamil poet and philosopher, Thiruvalluvar.
In the 12th century, a renowned Tamil scholar and grammarian named Ganesan Araiyar authored the influential work "Kalittogai," which is a commentary on the grammar text "Nannul." His contributions to Tamil literature and linguistics are widely recognized and celebrated.
Another notable figure in Indian history with the surname Ganesan was Rao Bahadur P.K. Ganesan (1891-1964), a prominent Indian industrialist and philanthropist from Tamil Nadu. He was the founder of the Ganesan Group of Companies and played a significant role in the industrial development of southern India.
In the field of arts and culture, M.R. Ganesan (1932-2007) was a renowned Indian actor who was fondly known as "Gemini Ganesan." He had an illustrious career spanning over six decades and starred in numerous Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi films, earning him several accolades and a revered status in Indian cinema.
The surname Ganesan continues to be prevalent among Tamil communities across India and the diaspora, carrying the cultural and religious significance associated with the venerated Hindu deity, Ganesha.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ganesan
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganesan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ganesan 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 Ganesan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.3% · 1,771
- White2.4% · 44
- Two or more races1.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ganesan
Ganesan 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
#22,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,115
+582 bearers (+109.2%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 15,998 places
2020
#15,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,858
+743 bearers (+66.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 7,731 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,942 | 533 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,944 | 1,115 | 0.38 | +582 bearers (+109.2%) | Up 15,998 places |
| 2020 | #15,213 | 1,858 | 0.62 | +743 bearers (+66.6%) | Up 7,731 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 Ganesan 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 | #22,944 | #15,213 | 33.7% |
| Count | 1,115 | 1,858 | 66.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.62 | 63.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ganesan bearers went from 1,115 to 1,858 (+66.6% change). The surname moved up 7,731 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,944 to #15,213.
FAQ
Ganesan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ganesan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,131 living Americans carry the surname Ganesan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,842 residents.
How common is Ganesan?
Ganesan ranks #15,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,858 people with the surname Ganesan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Ganesan.
Has Ganesan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ganesan went from 1,115 recorded bearers to 1,858. That is an increase of 743 (+66.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,944 to #15,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Ganesan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganesan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Ganesan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (1,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ganesan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.3%), White (2.4%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Ganesan (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 Ganesan mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning the servant or devotee of Lord Ganesha. 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 Ganesan (0.62 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 Ganesan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Ganesan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.