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

Karuppiah, 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 Karuppiah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karuppiah in America

Karuppiah is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karuppiah surname appeared 110 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 Karuppiah.

The history of the last name Karuppiah

The surname KARUPPIAH has its origins in the Tamil regions of southern India. It is a combination of two words from the Tamil language - "karuppu" meaning black or darkness, and "iah" being a suffix denoting status or respect. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone with a dark complexion or someone of importance within the community.

The earliest known records of the KARUPPIAH surname can be traced back to the 12th century in parts of what is now the state of Tamil Nadu. During this period, the name appears in various inscriptions and literary works from the region. One notable example is a reference to a minister named KARUPPIAH in the court of the Chola king Kulothunga III, who ruled from 1178 to 1218 CE.

In the 14th century, the KARUPPIAH name is mentioned in a palm leaf manuscript detailing land ownership and taxation records in the village of Kanchipuram, near present-day Chennai. This document lists several individuals with the KARUPPIAH surname, indicating their prominence as landowners and community leaders at the time.

As the Tamil diaspora spread across the Indian subcontinent and other parts of the world, the KARUPPIAH name travelled with them. In the late 17th century, a merchant named KARUPPIAH Chettiar is recorded as having established trade routes between the Coromandel Coast of India and Southeast Asia, particularly in the regions of modern-day Malaysia and Singapore.

One of the earliest known bearers of the KARUPPIAH name in the Western world was Sir Ponnambalam KARUPPIAH (1880-1954), a prominent lawyer and political figure in British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He played a significant role in the country's independence movement and served as a member of the State Council and the Legislative Council.

Other notable individuals with the KARUPPIAH surname include:

1. Dr. Ponnambalam KARUPPIAH (1907-1981), a pioneering physician and philanthropist in Malaysia who established several hospitals and medical institutions.
2. Gurusamy KARUPPIAH (1925-2007), an Indian writer and scholar renowned for his contributions to Tamil literature and his works on Hindu philosophy.
3. A.R. KARUPPIAH (1936-2016), an Indian artist and sculptor known for his bronze sculptures depicting themes from Hindu mythology and Tamil culture.
4. Narayanan KARUPPIAH (born 1948), a former Indian cricketer who played Test cricket for the national team in the 1970s.
5. Suthaharan KARUPPIAH (born 1976), a Sri Lankan-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist, known for his work in supporting education and healthcare initiatives.

While the KARUPPIAH surname has its roots in Tamil Nadu, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of this name making significant contributions in various fields, from politics and literature to medicine and business.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karuppiah

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

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 Karuppiah 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.

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

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

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