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

Lahiri, 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 Lahiri surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lahiri in America

Lahiri is the 58735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lahiri surname appeared 345 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lahiri.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lahiri 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 Lahiri

The surname Lahiri is of Indian origin, specifically from the Bengali language and culture. It originated in the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the present-day states of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The name Lahiri is derived from the Sanskrit word "Lohiri," which means "one who works with iron" or "blacksmith." It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, given to families engaged in the blacksmith trade or related metalworking professions.

Historical records suggest that the name Lahiri can be traced back to the medieval period in Bengal. It is likely that the name first appeared in documents and manuscripts dating back to the 12th or 13th century, although specific references are scarce due to the age of these records.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lahiri can be found in the 16th-century Bengali literary work "Chandi Mangal" by the renowned poet Maladhar Basu. The text mentions a character named "Lahiri Mahashay," which is believed to be a reference to a person with the surname Lahiri.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Lahiri. One of the most famous was Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the celebrated Bengali poet, novelist, and philosopher who became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Another prominent figure with the surname Lahiri was Nani Palkhivala (1920-2002), an eminent Indian jurist and economist who played a significant role in shaping the country's legal and economic landscape.

In the field of literature, Jhumpa Lahiri (born 1967) is a renowned Indian-American author known for her novels and short stories, including "The Namesake" and "Interpreter of Maladies," for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000.

Soumitra Lahiri (born 1940) is a distinguished Bengali film actor and director who has been actively involved in the Bengali cinema industry for over six decades.

Lastly, Amartya Sen (born 1933), an Indian economist and philosopher, is another notable individual with the surname Lahiri. He is best known for his contributions to welfare economics and for winning the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998.

While the surname Lahiri has its roots in Bengal, it has since spread to other parts of India and the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, the name's origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of eastern India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lahiri

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

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 Lahiri 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 Lahiri 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 Lahiri was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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