2000
#1,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.09
Uncommon Last name
Kaur
A Sikh surname given to all baptized females, meaning "princess" or "lioness," representing gender equality within the faith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,057 Americans carry the last name Kaur. That puts it at #431 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaur 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 Kaur with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
86K
1 in 3,983
Census rank
#431
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
75K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,046 bearers of the surname Kaur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 431st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaur, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaur
The surname Kaur originated in the Punjab region of South Asia, particularly in present-day India and Pakistan. It is a Punjabi name that dates back to the 16th century, during the time of the Sikh Gurus. Kaur is a title given to all Sikh females, regardless of their family name or lineage.
The word Kaur is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Kumari,' which means princess or maiden. It signifies honor, respect, and dignity for Sikh women. The name Kaur was introduced by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, as a way to promote gender equality and empower women within the Sikh community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaur can be found in the Sikh holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, which contains writings from various Sikh Gurus and saints from the 16th to the 18th century. Notable examples of women with the name Kaur mentioned in the scripture include Mata Khivi Kaur, the wife of Guru Angad Dev, and Mata Ganga Kaur, the wife of Guru Arjan Dev.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Kaur. These include Maharani Jind Kaur (1817-1863), who ruled as the regent of the Sikh Empire after the death of her husband, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Another prominent figure was Ajai Kaur (1917-1976), an Indian politician and social activist who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kaur include Bibi Nanki Kaur (1556-1618), the elder sister of Guru Arjan Dev, who was instrumental in spreading the teachings of Sikhism; Mata Sahib Kaur (1681-1747), the mother of Guru Gobind Singh and a renowned poet; and Rani Rajinder Kaur (1872-1909), a Sikh princess and patron of arts and literature.
It is important to note that while Kaur is primarily associated with the Sikh community, it has also been adopted by some Hindu and Muslim families in the Punjab region, particularly those with close ties to Sikh culture and traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaur
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaur, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaur 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 Kaur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.3% · 72,296
- White1.6% · 1,212
- Two or more races0.8% · 629
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 388
- Black or African American0.4% · 320
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 201
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaur
Kaur 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
#711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,753
+26,928 bearers (+123.4%)
Per 100,000 16.53
Rank movement Up 790 places
2020
#431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,046
+26,293 bearers (+53.9%)
Per 100,000 25.11
Rank movement Up 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,501 | 21,825 | 8.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #711 | 48,753 | 16.53 | +26,928 bearers (+123.4%) | Up 790 places |
| 2020 | #431 | 75,046 | 25.11 | +26,293 bearers (+53.9%) | Up 280 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 Kaur 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 | #711 | #431 | 39.4% |
| Count | 48,753 | 75,046 | 53.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.53 | 25.11 | 51.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaur bearers went from 48,753 to 75,046 (+53.9% change). The surname moved up 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #711 to #431.
FAQ
Kaur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaur?
Name Census estimates that about 86,057 living Americans carry the surname Kaur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,983 residents.
How common is Kaur?
Kaur ranks #431 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,046 people with the surname Kaur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,057), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Kaur.
Has Kaur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaur went from 48,753 recorded bearers to 75,046. That is an increase of 26,293 (+53.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #711 to #431.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaur, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Kaur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (72,296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.3%), White (1.6%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Kaur (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 Kaur mean?
A Sikh surname given to all baptized females, meaning "princess" or "lioness," representing gender equality within the faith. 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 Kaur (25.11 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 are called Kaur?
If you just want to know how common the surname Kaur is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.