2000
#13,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Kulkarni
A Marathi surname indicating the descendants of people from the Kulkarni village or those who managed land records and accounts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,618 Americans carry the last name Kulkarni. That puts it at #4,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kulkarni 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 Kulkarni with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,772
Census rank
#4,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,515 bearers of the surname Kulkarni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulkarni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kulkarni
The surname Kulkarni originated in India, specifically in the state of Maharashtra. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Kulak," which means an accountant or a village record keeper. The name's origins can be traced back to the 10th or 11th century CE.
Kulkarni is a common surname among the Marathi-speaking community in Maharashtra and the neighboring states of Karnataka and Goa. It is believed to have been associated with the Brahmin caste, who traditionally held administrative and scholarly positions in villages and towns.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kulkarni can be found in the Lekhapaddhati, an ancient Sanskrit text on accountancy and record-keeping. This text, written between the 12th and 14th centuries, mentions the role of Kulkarnis in maintaining village records and accounts.
In the 14th century, the Kulkarni family gained prominence during the reign of the Yadava dynasty, which ruled parts of present-day Maharashtra. Some historical records suggest that Kulkarnis served as scribes and accountants in the royal court.
Over the centuries, the Kulkarni surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest known is Vasudevāditya Kulkarni, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century. His works, such as the Siddharamakavya and the Siddhantaratnakara, are still studied and revered in academic circles.
Another prominent figure was Malhar Ramrao Kulkarni (1855-1928), a social reformer and educationist who played a significant role in the establishment of the Fergusson College in Pune. He was also a advocate for women's education and worked towards eradicating social evils like child marriage.
In the field of literature, Govind Vinayak Kulkarni (1887-1939), better known as Govind Kaka, was a celebrated Marathi playwright and author. His famous works include "Sharda," "Sirawali," and "Shyamchi Aai," which explored social themes and human emotions.
The Kulkarni surname has also been associated with notable personalities in the field of music. Pandit Narayanrao Kulkarni (1865-1937) was a renowned Indian classical vocalist and music educator who contributed significantly to the Gwalior Gharana of Hindustani classical music.
In more recent times, Sukhatme Kulkarni (1907-1996) was a prominent Indian mathematician and statistician. He made significant contributions to the field of probability theory and was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kulkarni
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulkarni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kulkarni 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 Kulkarni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.9% · 7,133
- White2.7% · 201
- Two or more races1.7% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kulkarni
Kulkarni 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
#7,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,506
+2,423 bearers (+116.3%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 6,017 places
2020
#4,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,515
+3,009 bearers (+66.8%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Up 2,818 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,407 | 2,083 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,390 | 4,506 | 1.53 | +2,423 bearers (+116.3%) | Up 6,017 places |
| 2020 | #4,572 | 7,515 | 2.51 | +3,009 bearers (+66.8%) | Up 2,818 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 Kulkarni 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 | #7,390 | #4,572 | 38.1% |
| Count | 4,506 | 7,515 | 66.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 2.51 | 64.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kulkarni bearers went from 4,506 to 7,515 (+66.8% change). The surname moved up 2,818 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,390 to #4,572.
FAQ
Kulkarni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kulkarni?
Name Census estimates that about 8,618 living Americans carry the surname Kulkarni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,772 residents.
How common is Kulkarni?
Kulkarni ranks #4,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,515 people with the surname Kulkarni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kulkarni.
Has Kulkarni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kulkarni went from 4,506 recorded bearers to 7,515. That is an increase of 3,009 (+66.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,390 to #4,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Kulkarni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulkarni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kulkarni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (7,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kulkarni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.9%), White (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kulkarni (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 Kulkarni mean?
A Marathi surname indicating the descendants of people from the Kulkarni village or those who managed land records and accounts. 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 Kulkarni (2.51 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 Kulkarni?
You can see how many people are called Kulkarni on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.