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

Madhavan, 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 Madhavan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Madhavan in America

Madhavan is the 42237th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Madhavan surname appeared 514 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 Madhavan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Madhavan 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 Madhavan

The surname "MADHAVAN" is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil region of southern India. This name can be traced back to ancient times, with records showing its existence as early as the 6th century CE.

The name "MADHAVAN" is derived from the Sanskrit words "madhu" meaning honey and "van" meaning one who possesses or owns. Thus, the name literally translates to "one who possesses honey" or "the owner of honey." This likely referred to someone who owned beehives or was involved in the production or trade of honey.

In ancient Tamil literature, there are references to people with the surname "MADHAVAN" being involved in agricultural and trade activities related to honey and other agricultural products. Some historical manuscripts, such as the "Sangam Literature" from the early centuries CE, mention individuals with this surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "MADHAVAN" can be found in the inscriptions of the Pallava dynasty, which ruled parts of southern India from the 3rd to the 9th century CE. These inscriptions mention various individuals with the surname "MADHAVAN" holding administrative and religious positions.

Over the centuries, the name "MADHAVAN" has been associated with several notable figures in Indian history. One such individual was Madhavan Nair (1858-1924), a prominent leader of the Indian independence movement and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Another notable bearer of this surname was Madhavan Tholkappian (1912-1999), a renowned Tamil scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the field of Tamil literature.

Other individuals with the surname "MADHAVAN" who have left their mark on history include Madhavan Nair (1880-1942), a pioneering Indian engineer and the founder of the Travancore Cements Company, and Madhavan Gopalan (1902-1978), a renowned Indian musician and composer who helped popularize Carnatic music.

Additionally, the surname "MADHAVAN" has been associated with various place names in southern India, such as Madhavankudi, a town in the state of Tamil Nadu, and Madhavaram, a neighborhood in the city of Chennai.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Madhavan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!