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

Handa, 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 Handa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Handa in America

Handa is the 27869th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Handa surname appeared 861 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 Handa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Handa 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 Handa

The surname HANDA has its origins in India, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "handa," which means "hand" or "handle." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a particular trade or occupation related to manual labor or craftsmanship.

In India, surnames often originated from various sources, including professions, castes, tribes, villages, or physical characteristics. The HANDA surname likely originated from a specific region or village within the Indian subcontinent, although the exact location remains uncertain.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the HANDA surname can be found in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document contained records of land ownership and taxation, which may have included individuals with the HANDA surname.

During the Maratha Empire, which ruled large parts of India from the 17th to the 19th centuries, several prominent individuals bore the HANDA surname. One notable figure was Malhar Rao Handa, a military commander who served under the Maratha ruler Shivaji between 1670 and 1680.

In the 18th century, the HANDA surname appeared in various regional manuscripts and records, indicating its presence across different parts of India. One such record is the "Peshwa Daftar," which documented the administration of the Peshwa rulers in the Maratha Empire.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the HANDA surname. These include Harbans Singh Handa (1907-1981), an Indian field hockey player who represented India at the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics. Another prominent figure was Harbhajan Singh Handa (1920-2002), an Indian politician and member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's parliament.

Other notable individuals with the HANDA surname include Rajinder Singh Handa (1938-2022), an Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, and Bharat Handa (born 1958), an Indian businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Handa Corporation, a multinational conglomerate.

While the HANDA surname has its roots in India, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the majority of individuals bearing this surname can trace their ancestral origins to various regions within the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Handa

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

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

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

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