2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Khelawan
A surname derived from the Hindi word "khela" meaning "game" or "play".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Khelawan. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Khelawan 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.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Khelawan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Khelawan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 40.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (15.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Khelawan
The surname KHELAWAN is believed to have originated in India, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "khel," which means "play" or "game," and the Persian word "awan," meaning "one who does something." Therefore, KHELAWAN can be interpreted as "one who plays" or "one who enjoys games."
The KHELAWAN surname was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of India, such as Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It is likely that the name was initially adopted by families involved in the entertainment industry or those who were known for their love of sports and recreational activities.
One of the earliest mentions of the KHELAWAN name can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document compiled by Abu'l-Fazl, the vizier of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document lists several individuals with the KHELAWAN surname, suggesting that the name was well-established during that period.
In the 18th century, a renowned poet and scholar named Kavi Khelawan Dass gained recognition for his literary works. Born in 1755 in the city of Banaras (now Varanasi), he was a celebrated figure in the Braj Bhasha literary tradition and contributed significantly to the preservation of the region's cultural heritage.
Another notable figure with the KHELAWAN surname was Rai Bahadur Khelawan Singh, a prominent landowner and philanthropist from Uttar Pradesh. Born in 1848, he was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and played a significant role in the social and economic development of his region.
During the 19th century, the KHELAWAN surname began to spread beyond the borders of India. One example is Khelawan Tiwari, a renowned Hindi writer and poet who was born in 1872 in Mauritius. His works, which explored the themes of independence and social reform, had a lasting impact on the literary landscape of the Indian diaspora.
In the early 20th century, Khelawan Nath Kapur, a successful businessman and philanthropist from Punjab, made significant contributions to the field of education. Born in 1885, he established several schools and colleges, ensuring access to quality education for underprivileged communities.
While the KHELAWAN surname has its roots in India, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals of Indian descent who have made their mark in various fields, from literature and arts to business and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Khelawan
Among Census respondents with the surname Khelawan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 40.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (15.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Khelawan 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 Khelawan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander40.7% · 44
- Black or African American25.0% · 27
- Two or more races15.7% · 17
- White8.3% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Khelawan
Khelawan 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 6,299 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 Khelawan 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 | #157,234 | #150,935 | 4.0% |
| Count | 103 | 108 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Khelawan bearers went from 103 to 108 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 6,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,935.
FAQ
Khelawan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Khelawan?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Khelawan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Khelawan?
Khelawan ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Khelawan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Khelawan.
Has Khelawan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Khelawan went from 103 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 5 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Khelawan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Khelawan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 40.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (15.7%). 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 Khelawan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.7% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Khelawan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (40.7%), Black (25.0%), Two or More Races (15.7%). 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 Khelawan (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 Khelawan mean?
A surname derived from the Hindi word "khela" meaning "game" or "play". 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 Khelawan (0.04 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 last name Khelawan?
You can see how many people have the last name Khelawan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.