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

Jayasuriya, 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 Jayasuriya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jayasuriya in America

Jayasuriya is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jayasuriya surname appeared 160 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 Jayasuriya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jayasuriya 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 Jayasuriya

The surname Jayasuriya is of Sri Lankan origin, deriving from the Sinhalese language. It is a compound name formed by the combination of the words "jaya" meaning victory or success, and "suriya" meaning sun or solar. Thus, the name can be interpreted as "victorious sun" or "triumphant sun."

This surname is believed to have emerged during the ancient Anuradhapura Kingdom era on the island of Sri Lanka, which spanned from around the 4th century BCE to the 11th century CE. It was likely adopted by individuals or families associated with royalty, nobility, or military success, as the meaning suggests a connotation of victory and triumph.

References to the name Jayasuriya can be found in various historical texts and chronicles from Sri Lanka, such as the Mahavamsa, a historical poem written in the 6th century CE. The Mahavamsa mentions several kings and notable figures with the name Jayasuriya or similar variations.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was King Siri Jayasuriya, who ruled the Kotte Kingdom in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Another notable bearer of this name was Mudaliyar Jayasuriya, a prominent government official and diplomat who served during the Dutch colonial period in the 17th century.

Other historical figures with the surname Jayasuriya include:

1. Don Juan Jayasuriya (1792-1857), a Sri Lankan writer and poet who contributed to the revival of Sinhalese literature.
2. Henry Jayasuriya (1857-1929), a Sri Lankan lawyer and judge who served as the Advocate General of Ceylon.
3. Don Stephen Jayasuriya (1876-1960), a Sri Lankan educator and writer who served as the principal of several prestigious schools.
4. Sir Ernest Jayasuriya (1903-1980), a prominent Sri Lankan civil servant and diplomat who served as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.
5. Somawansa Amarasinghe Jayasuriya (1930-1997), a Sri Lankan politician and member of parliament who held several ministerial positions.

The surname Jayasuriya has been associated with various historical locations and place names in Sri Lanka, particularly in the central and southern regions of the island, where many families bearing this name have deep roots and ancestral ties.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jayasuriya

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

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

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

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