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

Maharaj, 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 Maharaj surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maharaj in America

Maharaj is the 11322nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maharaj surname appeared 2,787 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Maharaj.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maharaj 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 Maharaj

The surname Maharaj originates from the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions of India and Nepal. It is derived from the Sanskrit words 'Maha' meaning 'great' and 'Raja' meaning 'king' or 'ruler'. The name can be traced back to the medieval period when it was used to denote members of royal families or those associated with the ruling class.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maharaj can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions several individuals with the title 'Maharaj', including Maharaj Sawai Jai Singh (1688-1743), a prominent ruler of Amber (present-day Jaipur) and a renowned astronomer.

In the 18th century, the Maharaj name gained prominence in the Kingdom of Nepal, where it was used by members of the Shah dynasty. Notable figures from this period include Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723-1775), the founder of the modern nation of Nepal, and his son Pratap Singh Shah (1751-1777), who is credited with unifying the country.

During the British Raj in India, the title 'Maharaja' was conferred upon ruling princes and monarchs of princely states. One of the most influential figures of this era was Maharaj Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire and a skilled military leader who ruled over a vast territory in the Punjab region.

In more recent times, the Maharaj name has been associated with spiritual and religious leaders. One such figure is Neem Karoli Baba (1900-1973), also known as Maharaj-ji, a revered Hindu mystic and guru who had a profound impact on the spiritual movements of the 1960s and 1970s in the West.

Another notable individual with the Maharaj surname is Satya Sai Baba (1926-2011), an Indian spiritual leader and philanthropist who gained a significant following worldwide. He established several educational institutions and hospitals, and was renowned for his teachings on love, peace, and service to humanity.

While the Maharaj name has its roots in royalty and nobility, it has also been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and walks of life, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maharaj

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

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

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

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