2000
#17,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Kurian
A Malayalam surname likely derived from the name of a village or place of origin in Kerala, India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,157 Americans carry the last name Kurian. That puts it at #11,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,570 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurian 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 Kurian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,570
Census rank
#11,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,753 bearers of the surname Kurian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurian, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurian
The surname Kurian is believed to have originated in India, where it was historically a caste name associated with the Syriac Christian community in the state of Kerala. The name is thought to be derived from the Syriac word "quriyono," which means "reader" or "preacher."
Records suggest that the Kurian surname first emerged in the early centuries of the Christian era, as the Syriac Christian community began to establish itself in Kerala. These early Christians were likely descendants of traders and missionaries who traveled to the region from the Middle East.
One of the earliest known references to the Kurian name can be found in the Thazhekad Sasanam, a copper plate inscription dated to the 9th century CE. This document, which outlines the rights and privileges granted to the Christian community in Kerala, includes the signature of a certain "Kurian Shem'un."
Over the centuries, the Kurian name became closely associated with the St. Thomas Christian community of Kerala. Many prominent figures from this community bore the surname, including the 16th-century poet and scholar Kurian Elias Chundan (1518-1598), who is renowned for his contributions to Malayalam literature.
Another notable Kurian was Mar Abraham Kurian (1577-1644), a bishop of the St. Thomas Christian Church who played a pivotal role in the Coonan Cross Oath of 1653, a significant event in the history of the Church.
In the 19th century, the Kurian surname gained further recognition with the birth of Kurian Mathew (1852-1919), a prominent educator and social reformer who established several educational institutions in Kerala.
Throughout the 20th century, the Kurian name continued to be associated with influential figures in various fields. One such example is Kurian Varughese (1920-2011), a prominent Indian diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to several nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
Another notable Kurian was Dr. George Kurian (1935-2022), a renowned author and scholar who wrote extensively on topics related to religion, politics, and world affairs. His work, The Encyclopedia of Christianity, is considered a seminal reference work in the field of religious studies.
While the Kurian surname has its roots in Kerala, it has since spread to other parts of India and around the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural and religious heritage of the St. Thomas Christian community of Kerala.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurian
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurian, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurian 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 Kurian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.6% · 2,384
- White9.2% · 252
- Two or more races2.4% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 39
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurian
Kurian 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
#13,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
+720 bearers (+49.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 3,931 places
2020
#11,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,753
+590 bearers (+27.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 2,919 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,884 | 1,443 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,953 | 2,163 | 0.73 | +720 bearers (+49.9%) | Up 3,931 places |
| 2020 | #11,034 | 2,753 | 0.92 | +590 bearers (+27.3%) | Up 2,919 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 Kurian 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 | #13,953 | #11,034 | 20.9% |
| Count | 2,163 | 2,753 | 27.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.92 | 26.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurian bearers went from 2,163 to 2,753 (+27.3% change). The surname moved up 2,919 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,953 to #11,034.
FAQ
Kurian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurian?
Name Census estimates that about 3,157 living Americans carry the surname Kurian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,570 residents.
How common is Kurian?
Kurian ranks #11,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,753 people with the surname Kurian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Kurian.
Has Kurian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurian went from 2,163 recorded bearers to 2,753. That is an increase of 590 (+27.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,953 to #11,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurian, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kurian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (2,384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.6%), White (9.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kurian (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 Kurian mean?
A Malayalam surname likely derived from the name of a village or place of origin in Kerala, 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 Kurian (0.92 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 share the surname Kurian?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.