2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kalidas
An Indian surname derived from the name of the renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidasa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Kalidas. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kalidas 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Kalidas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalidas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and White (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kalidas
The surname Kalidas is of Indian origin, specifically from the Sanskrit language. It originated in the region of ancient India, where it was initially a given name rather than a surname.
Kalidas is derived from the Sanskrit words "kali" meaning "beautiful" or "auspicious" and "das" meaning "servant". This combination suggests the name may have been given to individuals who were considered servants or devotees of the divine beauty or auspiciousness.
One of the most famous historical figures bearing this name is the renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidasa, who lived around the 4th-5th century CE. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets and playwrights in the history of Sanskrit literature, with works such as the play "Abhijñānaśākuntalam" (The Recognition of Shakuntala) and the epic poem "Kumārasambhavam" (The Birth of the War God).
The name Kalidas can also be found in various ancient Indian texts and inscriptions, further attesting to its historical roots and usage. For instance, it appears in the "Puranas" (ancient Hindu texts) and in the works of several other notable Sanskrit authors and scholars.
Another notable individual with this surname was Kalidas Shetye, a 17th-century Marathi poet and scholar from the Konkan region of western India. His works, such as the "Shri Swami Samartha Charitramrut," played a significant role in the development of Marathi literature.
In the 19th century, Kalidas Nag was a prominent Indian scholar and educator who contributed to the study of Sanskrit literature and philosophy. He served as the principal of the Sanskrit College in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and authored several works on Sanskrit grammar and literature.
Another notable figure with this surname was Kalidas Dutt, a Bengali writer and journalist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a prominent figure in the Bengal Renaissance and played a significant role in the literary and social reform movements of that era.
While the surname Kalidas has its roots in ancient India, it continues to be used by individuals of Indian descent across various regions and communities, carrying with it a rich cultural and literary heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalidas
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalidas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and White (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kalidas 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 Kalidas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.1% · 99
- Black or African American7.0% · 8
- White4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kalidas
Kalidas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,675 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 12,675 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 Kalidas 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 | #158,432 | #145,757 | 8.0% |
| Count | 102 | 115 | 12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kalidas bearers went from 102 to 115 (+12.7% change). The surname moved up 12,675 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,757.
FAQ
Kalidas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kalidas?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Kalidas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Kalidas?
Kalidas ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Kalidas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kalidas.
Has Kalidas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kalidas went from 102 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 13 (+12.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Kalidas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalidas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and White (4.3%). 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 Kalidas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kalidas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.1%), Black (7.0%), White (4.3%). 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 Kalidas (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 Kalidas mean?
An Indian surname derived from the name of the renowned Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidasa. 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 Kalidas (0.04 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 Kalidas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kalidas is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.