Find out how popular the last name Kumar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kumar.

Kumar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kumar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kumar in America

Kumar is the 1357th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kumar surname appeared 25,986 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Kumar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kumar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kumar

The surname Kumar is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "Kumara," which means "prince" or "son." It is a title that was originally used by members of the Kshatriya caste, the warrior and ruling class in ancient India. The name has been in use for centuries and can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kumar can be found in the Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem dating back to the 5th century BCE. In the Ramayana, the character Rama is referred to as "Kumara" by his father, King Dasharatha. This suggests that the name was already in use as a title or honorific during that time.

The name Kumar also appears in various other ancient Indian texts, such as the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and the Vedas. In these texts, the name is often associated with deities, kings, and princes, further reinforcing its connection to royalty and nobility.

During the medieval period, the name Kumar was commonly used by members of the Rajput clans, who were descendants of the Kshatriya caste. Many Rajput rulers and warriors bore the name Kumar, such as Kumar Pal, a renowned king of the Tomar dynasty who ruled in the 8th century CE.

Another notable figure with the surname Kumar was Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya Empire in ancient India. Born around 340 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya is credited with unifying large parts of the Indian subcontinent and establishing one of the largest empires in ancient history.

In more recent times, the name Kumar has been associated with several influential figures in Indian history and culture. One example is Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor of India, who was born with the name Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1775. He was also known by the title "Bahadur Shah Kumar."

Other notable individuals with the surname Kumar include the Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary Bhagat Singh (1907-1931), the renowned Bollywood actor and producer Akshay Kumar (born in 1967), and the Indian cricketer Vinay Kumar (born in 1984).

While the surname Kumar is widespread across India, it is particularly prevalent in certain regions, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, where it has a strong historical connection to the ruling classes and warrior clans.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kumar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kumar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kumar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kumar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kumar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kumar, please contact us.

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