2000
#29,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 748
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Rare Last name
Krishnamurthy
A surname of South Indian origin meaning "Krishna's town or village".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,142 Americans carry the last name Krishnamurthy. That puts it at #15,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,016 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krishnamurthy 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 Krishnamurthy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,016
Census rank
#15,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,868 bearers of the surname Krishnamurthy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krishnamurthy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krishnamurthy
The surname KRISHNAMURTHY has its origins in India, specifically in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is a combination of the Sanskrit words "Krishna," meaning dark or black, and "murthy," meaning embodiment or form.
The name KRISHNAMURTHY is believed to have first emerged during the medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century CE. It was initially associated with Hindu Brahmin families, particularly those dedicated to the worship of Lord Krishna, one of the principal deities in Hinduism.
The earliest known records of the name KRISHNAMURTHY can be traced back to ancient Hindu inscriptions and temple records in South India. These inscriptions often mentioned individuals bearing this name, indicating their involvement in religious activities or their association with temple administration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KRISHNAMURTHY is found in an inscription from the Chola dynasty, which ruled parts of South India between the 9th and 13th centuries CE. This inscription, dated around the 11th century, mentions a person named KRISHNAMURTHY as a member of the temple committee overseeing the management of a prominent Hindu temple.
Throughout the centuries, several notable figures have borne the surname KRISHNAMURTHY. One prominent individual was Jiddu KRISHNAMURTHY (1895-1986), a renowned Indian philosopher and speaker who traveled extensively, sharing his teachings on spirituality, freedom, and the transformation of human consciousness.
Another notable KRISHNAMURTHY was P. KRISHNAMURTHY (1938-2022), an acclaimed Indian cricketer who played for the Indian national team in the 1960s and later served as a cricket administrator and commentator.
M. KRISHNAMURTHY (1910-1980) was a renowned Indian mathematician and educator, known for his contributions to the field of functional analysis and his work in popularizing mathematics education in India.
In the field of literature, R. KRISHNAMURTHY (1912-1980) was a celebrated Tamil writer, known for his novels, short stories, and plays that explored social issues and human relationships.
KRISHNAMURTHY SASTRI (1892-1953) was a prominent Indian scholar and historian who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Indian history, literature, and culture, particularly in the field of Dravidian studies.
While the surname KRISHNAMURTHY is predominantly found in South India, it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by individuals who have migrated or settled in different regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krishnamurthy
Among Census respondents with the surname Krishnamurthy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Krishnamurthy 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 Krishnamurthy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.3% · 1,781
- Two or more races2.2% · 42
- White1.8% · 34
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krishnamurthy
Krishnamurthy 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
#19,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,392
+644 bearers (+86.1%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Up 10,280 places
2020
#15,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,868
+476 bearers (+34.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 4,264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,696 | 748 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,416 | 1,392 | 0.47 | +644 bearers (+86.1%) | Up 10,280 places |
| 2020 | #15,152 | 1,868 | 0.62 | +476 bearers (+34.2%) | Up 4,264 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 Krishnamurthy 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 | #19,416 | #15,152 | 22.0% |
| Count | 1,392 | 1,868 | 34.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.62 | 33.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krishnamurthy bearers went from 1,392 to 1,868 (+34.2% change). The surname moved up 4,264 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,416 to #15,152.
FAQ
Krishnamurthy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krishnamurthy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,142 living Americans carry the surname Krishnamurthy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,016 residents.
How common is Krishnamurthy?
Krishnamurthy ranks #15,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,868 people with the surname Krishnamurthy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Krishnamurthy.
Has Krishnamurthy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krishnamurthy went from 1,392 recorded bearers to 1,868. That is an increase of 476 (+34.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,416 to #15,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Krishnamurthy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krishnamurthy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.8%). 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 Krishnamurthy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (1,781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krishnamurthy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%), White (1.8%). 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 Krishnamurthy (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 Krishnamurthy mean?
A surname of South Indian origin meaning "Krishna's town or village". 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 Krishnamurthy (0.62 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 Krishnamurthy?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Krishnamurthy, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.