2000
#32,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 668
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Rare Last name
Khurana
A Hindu surname referring to the Khurana clan or lineage of northern India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,931 Americans carry the last name Khurana. That puts it at #16,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 177,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Khurana 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 Khurana with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 177,501
Census rank
#16,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,684 bearers of the surname Khurana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Khurana, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Khurana
The surname Khurana is of Indian origin, specifically from the Punjab region of northern India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Khurana', which means 'a village headman' or 'a village chief'. The name first appeared in historical records during the medieval period, around the 12th-13th century.
Khurana was a common surname among the Khatri community, a Hindu caste traditionally engaged in trade and commerce. The Khatris played a significant role in the economic and cultural life of the Punjab region, and many Khurana families held positions of prominence in various villages and towns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Khurana can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions several Khurana families who were landowners and held administrative positions in the Punjab region during the Mughal era.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Khurana was Rai Kalha Khurana, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Lahore (now in Pakistan). He was known for his contributions towards the construction of several temples, wells, and other public works in the region.
Another prominent individual with the Khurana surname was Lala Munshi Ram Khurana (1823-1891), a renowned scholar, writer, and social reformer from Punjab. He authored several books on Punjabi literature and played a key role in the Singh Sabha movement, which aimed to revive Sikhism and promote education among the Sikh community.
In more recent history, Mridula Khurana (1934-2020) was a distinguished Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for her contributions to the field of dance.
Vijay Khurana (born 1952) is a renowned Indian engineer and scientist, known for his work in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri, for his contributions to science and technology.
The surname Khurana has also been associated with various place names in Punjab, such as Khurana Kalan and Khurana Khurd, which were likely named after prominent Khurana families who resided in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Khurana
Among Census respondents with the surname Khurana, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Khurana 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 Khurana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.7% · 1,511
- White4.5% · 76
- Two or more races3.9% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Khurana
Khurana 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
#21,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,182
+514 bearers (+76.9%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 10,500 places
2020
#16,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,684
+502 bearers (+42.5%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 5,411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,460 | 668 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,960 | 1,182 | 0.40 | +514 bearers (+76.9%) | Up 10,500 places |
| 2020 | #16,549 | 1,684 | 0.56 | +502 bearers (+42.5%) | Up 5,411 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 Khurana 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 | #21,960 | #16,549 | 24.6% |
| Count | 1,182 | 1,684 | 42.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.56 | 40.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Khurana bearers went from 1,182 to 1,684 (+42.5% change). The surname moved up 5,411 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,960 to #16,549.
FAQ
Khurana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Khurana?
Name Census estimates that about 1,931 living Americans carry the surname Khurana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 177,501 residents.
How common is Khurana?
Khurana ranks #16,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,684 people with the surname Khurana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Khurana.
Has Khurana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Khurana went from 1,182 recorded bearers to 1,684. That is an increase of 502 (+42.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,960 to #16,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Khurana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Khurana, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Khurana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Khurana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.7%), White (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Khurana (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 Khurana mean?
A Hindu surname referring to the Khurana clan or lineage of northern India. 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 Khurana (0.56 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 Americans have the surname Khurana?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.