2000
#46,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Rare Last name
Kumari
An Indian surname referring to princess or an unmarried girl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,444 Americans carry the last name Kumari. That puts it at #10,215 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,522 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kumari 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 Kumari with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,522
Census rank
#10,215
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,003 bearers of the surname Kumari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10215th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.2%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kumari
The surname "KUMARI" is of Indian origin, specifically from the Hindi language. It dates back to ancient times and is derived from the Sanskrit word "kumAri," which means "young woman" or "virgin."
The name is believed to have its roots in the Hindu tradition, where "Kumari" is an epithet used for the goddess Durga or Kali, who is revered as the divine mother and the embodiment of shakti (divine feminine energy). It was likely adopted as a surname by families or individuals who had a strong devotion to these goddesses or their associated temples and shrines.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "KUMARI" can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions a few individuals with this surname, indicating its use during the Mughal era.
In the medieval period, the name "KUMARI" was also associated with the tradition of the "Kumari Puja," a religious ritual performed in certain regions of India, where a young girl (kumari) is worshipped as a living embodiment of the divine feminine power. Families involved in this ritual tradition often adopted the surname "KUMARI."
Notable individuals throughout history with the surname "KUMARI" include:
1. Raja Ram Kumari (1670-1728), an Indian poet and writer from the Mughal era, known for his works in Hindi and Persian.
2. Tara Kumari (1845-1925), an Indian princess and social reformer from the princely state of Jaipur, who advocated for women's education and founded several schools.
3. Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur (1889-1964), an Indian freedom fighter and politician, who served as the first Health Minister of independent India.
4. Kumari Kamala (1933-2018), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, renowned for her expertise in the Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dance forms.
5. Vijaya Raje Kumari (1919-2009), an Indian politician and member of the Gwalior royal family, who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and later served as a member of parliament.
The surname "KUMARI" has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations in India, such as Kumari Kandam, an ancient legendary landmass believed to have once existed in the Indian Ocean region, and Kumari, a town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kumari
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.2%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kumari 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 Kumari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.2% · 2,920
- White1.4% · 42
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- Two or more races0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kumari
Kumari 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
#25,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 990
+562 bearers (+131.3%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 21,675 places
2020
#10,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,003
+2,013 bearers (+203.3%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 14,868 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,758 | 428 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,083 | 990 | 0.34 | +562 bearers (+131.3%) | Up 21,675 places |
| 2020 | #10,215 | 3,003 | 1.00 | +2,013 bearers (+203.3%) | Up 14,868 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 Kumari 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 | #25,083 | #10,215 | 59.3% |
| Count | 990 | 3,003 | 203.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 1.00 | 195.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kumari bearers went from 990 to 3,003 (+203.3% change). The surname moved up 14,868 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,083 to #10,215.
FAQ
Kumari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kumari?
Name Census estimates that about 3,444 living Americans carry the surname Kumari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,522 residents.
How common is Kumari?
Kumari ranks #10,215 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 3,003 people with the surname Kumari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,444), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Kumari.
Has Kumari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kumari went from 990 recorded bearers to 3,003. That is an increase of 2,013 (+203.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,083 to #10,215.
What does the Census say about the background of Kumari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.2%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Kumari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (2,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kumari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.2%), White (1.4%), Black (0.4%). 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 Kumari (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 Kumari mean?
An Indian surname referring to princess or an unmarried girl. 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 Kumari (1.00 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 Kumari?
Want to know how common the surname Kumari is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.