2000
#35,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 596
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Rare Last name
Kar
A surname derived from the Sanskrit word 'karma' or 'karu,' meaning one who performs or acts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,646 Americans carry the last name Kar. That puts it at #18,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 208,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kar 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 Kar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 208,235
Census rank
#18,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,435 bearers of the surname Kar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.0%. The next largest groups are White (17.9%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kar
The surname Kar has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, with its roots potentially traced back to ancient Sanskrit and Prakrit languages. The name is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "kara," which means "hand" or "tax collector." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with occupations related to manual labor or tax collection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kar can be found in ancient Hindu texts, such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas, where it is mentioned as a caste or community name. These texts date back to several centuries BCE, indicating the antiquity of the name.
In medieval times, the Kar surname was prevalent among various Hindu communities, particularly in the northern and central regions of the Indian subcontinent. Some historical records from the Mughal era, spanning the 16th to 18th centuries, mention individuals with the Kar surname holding administrative positions or serving as scribes and record-keepers.
Notable individuals bearing the Kar surname include Govindram Sakharam Kar (1835-1913), a prominent Indian educationist and social reformer from Maharashtra. Another prominent figure was Nirmalkant Kar (1833-1889), a Bengali writer, journalist, and social activist who played a significant role in the Bengali Renaissance.
In the 19th century, the Kar surname was also found among scholars and intellectuals, such as Shyamacharan Kar (1835-1902), a renowned Bengali scholar and writer who contributed to the preservation of Bengali literature and culture.
The name Kar has also been associated with various place names in the Indian subcontinent, such as Karanjia, a town in the state of Odisha, and Karauli, a city in Rajasthan. These place names may have influenced the spelling and variations of the surname over time.
Other notable individuals with the Kar surname include Sardar Bahadur Har Narain Kar (1858-1939), an Indian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council, and Prabhudayal Kar (1889-1968), a noted Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from Uttar Pradesh.
It is worth mentioning that the surname Kar has also been found in other parts of the world, potentially due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance can be primarily traced back to the Indian subcontinent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kar
Among Census respondents with the surname Kar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.0%. The next largest groups are White (17.9%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kar 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 Kar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.0% · 1,048
- White17.9% · 257
- Black or African American4.3% · 62
- Two or more races2.4% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kar
Kar 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
#25,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 974
+378 bearers (+63.4%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Up 10,263 places
2020
#18,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,435
+461 bearers (+47.3%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 6,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,666 | 596 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,403 | 974 | 0.33 | +378 bearers (+63.4%) | Up 10,263 places |
| 2020 | #18,946 | 1,435 | 0.48 | +461 bearers (+47.3%) | Up 6,457 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 Kar 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 | #25,403 | #18,946 | 25.4% |
| Count | 974 | 1,435 | 47.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.48 | 45.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kar bearers went from 974 to 1,435 (+47.3% change). The surname moved up 6,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,403 to #18,946.
FAQ
Kar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kar?
Name Census estimates that about 1,646 living Americans carry the surname Kar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 208,235 residents.
How common is Kar?
Kar ranks #18,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,435 people with the surname Kar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,646), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Kar.
Has Kar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kar went from 974 recorded bearers to 1,435. That is an increase of 461 (+47.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,403 to #18,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Kar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.0%. The next largest groups are White (17.9%) and Black (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 Kar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (1,048 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.0%), White (17.9%), Black (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 Kar (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 Kar mean?
A surname derived from the Sanskrit word 'karma' or 'karu,' meaning one who performs or acts. 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 Kar (0.48 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 Americans have the surname Kar?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.