2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kakkar
A Hindu surname of Indian origin referring to someone of the Khatri caste.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 572 Americans carry the last name Kakkar. That puts it at #46,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 599,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kakkar 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 Kakkar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
572
1 in 599,221
Census rank
#46,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
499
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 499 bearers of the surname Kakkar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kakkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and White (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kakkar
The surname Kakkar has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, believed to have emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Kakka," which means "a crow." This suggests the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with dark complexion or hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the Kakkar surname can be traced back to historical records from the 14th century, where it appears in various manuscripts and chronicles from the region. One notable example is the mention of a Kakkar family in the court records of the Delhi Sultanate during the reign of Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388).
In the 15th century, the Kakkar surname was found among the Khatri community, a prominent trading and mercantile group in Punjab and parts of northern India. This indicates the name's association with the commercial activities of the region during that time.
As the Mughal Empire rose to power in the 16th century, the Kakkar surname can be found in several administrative records and land ownership documents from various parts of northern and central India. One notable Kakkar was Rai Krishan Das Kakkar, a prominent merchant and philanthropist from Lahore, who lived during the reign of Akbar the Great (1556-1605).
During the 18th century, the Kakkar surname gained prominence among the Sikh community of Punjab. Several Kakkar families played influential roles in the era of the Sikh Misls (confederacies) and the rise of the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839). One such figure was Bhai Mani Singh Kakkar (1644-1737), a revered scholar and warrior who played a crucial role in preserving and compiling the Adi Granth, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.
Another notable individual with the Kakkar surname was Sardar Bahadur Sir Ganda Singh Kakkar (1854-1920), a prominent statesman and social reformer from Punjab. He served as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council and was actively involved in various educational and philanthropic initiatives.
Throughout history, the Kakkar surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, scholars, warriors, and statesmen. While the name has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kakkar
Among Census respondents with the surname Kakkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and White (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kakkar 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 Kakkar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.4% · 466
- Two or more races3.2% · 16
- White1.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kakkar
Kakkar 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
#75,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 255
+120 bearers (+88.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 43,390 places
2020
#46,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 499
+244 bearers (+95.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 29,475 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,564 | 255 | 0.09 | +120 bearers (+88.9%) | Up 43,390 places |
| 2020 | #46,089 | 499 | 0.17 | +244 bearers (+95.7%) | Up 29,475 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 Kakkar 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 | #75,564 | #46,089 | 39.0% |
| Count | 255 | 499 | 95.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.17 | 85.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kakkar bearers went from 255 to 499 (+95.7% change). The surname moved up 29,475 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,564 to #46,089.
FAQ
Kakkar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kakkar?
Name Census estimates that about 572 living Americans carry the surname Kakkar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 599,221 residents.
How common is Kakkar?
Kakkar ranks #46,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 499 people with the surname Kakkar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (572), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kakkar.
Has Kakkar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kakkar went from 255 recorded bearers to 499. That is an increase of 244 (+95.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #75,564 to #46,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Kakkar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kakkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and White (1.2%). 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 Kakkar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kakkar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%), White (1.2%). 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 Kakkar (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 Kakkar mean?
A Hindu surname of Indian origin referring to someone of the Khatri caste. 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 Kakkar (0.17 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 Kakkar?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Kakkar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.