2010
#91,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kharbanda
A Punjabi surname derived from the term 'Kharbandha,' meaning a settlement of cultivators.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 319 Americans carry the last name Kharbanda. That puts it at #74,891 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,074,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kharbanda 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 Kharbanda with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
319
1 in 1,074,465
Census rank
#74,891
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
278
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 278 bearers of the surname Kharbanda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 74891st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kharbanda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kharbanda
The surname KHARBANDA originates from the Indian subcontinent, specifically the Punjab region of northern India and eastern Pakistan. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "kharva," meaning "a small village or hamlet." The name is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the KHARBANDA surname can be traced back to various historical documents and records from the Mughal Empire era, which ruled over the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries. It is likely that the name was initially associated with individuals or families residing in small villages or hamlets across the Punjab region.
One notable historical reference to the KHARBANDA surname can be found in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a detailed administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. This text provides insights into the social, economic, and administrative structures of the Mughal Empire, including mentions of various surnames and their geographical origins.
Throughout history, several individuals with the KHARBANDA surname have achieved prominence in various fields. One such figure was Hari Singh Kharbanda (1887-1967), a renowned Indian freedom fighter and politician from Punjab. He actively participated in the Indian independence movement and served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which drafted the country's constitution.
Another notable KHARBANDA was Shankar Dayal Kharbanda (1917-2003), a renowned Indian mathematician and educator. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi from 1975 to 1978.
In the realm of Indian cinema, Shakti Kapoor (born Suresh Kharband in 1952) is a well-known actor who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films. Although he changed his surname for professional reasons, his original surname was KHARBANDA.
Gurbachan Singh Kharbanda (1920-2010) was a prominent Indian civil servant and diplomat. He served as the Chief Secretary of Punjab and later as the Indian Ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
Lastly, Kulbhushan Kharbanda (born 1944) is a celebrated Indian actor and director who has worked extensively in both Hindi and Punjabi films, as well as in television and theater productions.
While the KHARBANDA surname has its roots in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the historical and linguistic influences of the region, reflecting a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kharbanda
Among Census respondents with the surname Kharbanda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kharbanda 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 Kharbanda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.3% · 251
- Two or more races4.0% · 11
- White3.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kharbanda
Kharbanda 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
#74,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
+76 bearers (+37.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 16,330 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #91,221 | 202 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #74,891 | 278 | 0.09 | +76 bearers (+37.6%) | Up 16,330 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 Kharbanda 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 | #91,221 | #74,891 | 17.9% |
| Count | 202 | 278 | 37.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 32.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kharbanda bearers went from 202 to 278 (+37.6% change). The surname moved up 16,330 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,221 to #74,891.
FAQ
Kharbanda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kharbanda?
Name Census estimates that about 319 living Americans carry the surname Kharbanda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,074,465 residents.
How common is Kharbanda?
Kharbanda ranks #74,891 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 278 people with the surname Kharbanda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Kharbanda.
Has Kharbanda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kharbanda went from 202 recorded bearers to 278. That is an increase of 76 (+37.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,221 to #74,891.
What does the Census say about the background of Kharbanda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kharbanda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and White (3.2%). 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 Kharbanda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (251 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kharbanda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%), White (3.2%). 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 Kharbanda (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 Kharbanda mean?
A Punjabi surname derived from the term 'Kharbandha,' meaning a settlement of cultivators. 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 Kharbanda (0.09 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 surname Kharbanda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.