2000
#5,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,478
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Uncommon Last name
Joshi
A surname of Indian origin, indicating a person belonging to the Joshi caste, traditionally astrologers, teachers, or priests.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,629 Americans carry the last name Joshi. That puts it at #2,313 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joshi 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 Joshi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,443
Census rank
#2,313
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,373 bearers of the surname Joshi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2313th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joshi
The surname Joshi originates from India, specifically from the Sanskrit language. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century AD during the Gupta Empire period.
Joshi is derived from the Sanskrit word "jyoti," which means "light" or "brightness." It was initially used as a title or an honorific for Brahmin scholars and priests who were considered enlightened and learned individuals.
In ancient Hindu scriptures and manuscripts, references to individuals with the title "Joshi" can be found. One of the earliest recorded examples is from the 7th century CE in the Puranic literature, where a scholar named Kashyap Joshi is mentioned.
The name Joshi was particularly prevalent in the regions of present-day Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, where Sanskrit learning and Brahmin traditions were deeply rooted.
Notable Joshis throughout history include Anantadev Joshi, a 12th-century Marathi poet and scholar, and Pandit Vishnu Narayan Joshi, a 19th-century Sanskrit scholar and author born in 1812.
Another prominent figure was Raja Jai Singh Joshi, a renowned astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1686 to 1743. He played a crucial role in establishing the city of Jaipur and its famous observatories.
In the field of literature, Vaman Shivram Joshi, born in 1850, was a distinguished Marathi writer and social reformer who contributed significantly to the promotion of education and women's rights.
Lastly, Gajanan Digambar Joshi, born in 1908, was a respected Indian freedom fighter and social activist who dedicated his life to the cause of Indian independence and the upliftment of marginalized communities.
While the surname Joshi is predominantly found in India, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joshi
Among Census respondents with the surname Joshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Joshi 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 Joshi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.8% · 14,426
- White2.9% · 446
- Two or more races2.1% · 328
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 78
- Black or African American0.4% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joshi
Joshi 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
#3,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,089
+4,611 bearers (+84.2%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Up 2,239 places
2020
#2,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,373
+5,284 bearers (+52.4%)
Per 100,000 5.14
Rank movement Up 1,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,781 | 5,478 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,542 | 10,089 | 3.42 | +4,611 bearers (+84.2%) | Up 2,239 places |
| 2020 | #2,313 | 15,373 | 5.14 | +5,284 bearers (+52.4%) | Up 1,229 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 Joshi 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 | #3,542 | #2,313 | 34.7% |
| Count | 10,089 | 15,373 | 52.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 5.14 | 50.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joshi bearers went from 10,089 to 15,373 (+52.4% change). The surname moved up 1,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,542 to #2,313.
FAQ
Joshi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joshi?
Name Census estimates that about 17,629 living Americans carry the surname Joshi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,443 residents.
How common is Joshi?
Joshi ranks #2,313 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,373 people with the surname Joshi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Joshi.
Has Joshi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joshi went from 10,089 recorded bearers to 15,373. That is an increase of 5,284 (+52.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,542 to #2,313.
What does the Census say about the background of Joshi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joshi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Joshi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (14,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joshi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.8%), White (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Joshi (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 Joshi mean?
A surname of Indian origin, indicating a person belonging to the Joshi caste, traditionally astrologers, teachers, or priests. 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 Joshi (5.14 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 Joshi?
Want to know how many people are called Joshi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.