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

Kashyap, 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 Kashyap surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kashyap in America

Kashyap is the 26853rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kashyap surname appeared 905 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 Kashyap.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kashyap to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kashyap

The surname Kashyap is of Indian origin and can be traced back to ancient times. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kashyapa', which means 'tortoise'. The name is believed to have originated in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

One of the earliest references to the name Kashyap can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, particularly in the Puranas. The Kashyapa gotra, or lineage, is mentioned as one of the most prominent Brahmin gotras (clans) in these texts. The name is associated with the sage Kashyapa, who is regarded as one of the seven great sages (Saptarishi) in Hindu mythology.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kashyap can be found in various historical documents and inscriptions from the medieval period. For example, the Kashyap clan is mentioned in the Rajatarangini, a historical chronicle of the kings of Kashmir, written by Kalhana in the 12th century.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Kashyap. One of the most renowned was Acharya Kashyap (circa 6th century CE), a celebrated Buddhist scholar and philosopher from the Nalanda University in Bihar. Another prominent figure was Raja Kashyap (10th century CE), a ruler of the Chauhan dynasty in Rajasthan.

During the Mughal era, the Kashyap community held influential positions in various parts of northern India. One notable example is Pandit Kashyap (1572-1640), a renowned astrologer and scholar who served in the court of Emperor Akbar.

In more recent times, the Kashyap surname has been associated with several notable figures, including Jagjit Singh Kashyap (1907-1989), a renowned poet and writer from Punjab, and Atul Kashyap (born 1957), a well-known Indian filmmaker and producer.

While the Kashyap surname is predominant in northern India, it is also found among various communities across the subcontinent, reflecting the historical migrations and settlements of people bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kashyap

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

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 Kashyap 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kashyap has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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