2000
#13,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,045
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Maharaj
A royal title meaning "great king" in several Indian languages, adopted as a surname by various Indian families.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,532 Americans carry the last name Maharaj. That puts it at #9,994 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maharaj 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 Maharaj with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,043
Census rank
#9,994
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,080 bearers of the surname Maharaj in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9994th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maharaj, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (12.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maharaj
Among Census respondents with the surname Maharaj, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (12.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Maharaj 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 Maharaj surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander52.4% · 1,615
- Black or African American22.1% · 680
- Two or more races12.5% · 385
- White6.5% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maharaj
Maharaj 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
#11,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,787
+742 bearers (+36.3%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 2,291 places
2020
#9,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,080
+293 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 1,328 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,613 | 2,045 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,322 | 2,787 | 0.94 | +742 bearers (+36.3%) | Up 2,291 places |
| 2020 | #9,994 | 3,080 | 1.03 | +293 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,328 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 Maharaj 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 | #11,322 | #9,994 | 11.7% |
| Count | 2,787 | 3,080 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 1.03 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maharaj bearers went from 2,787 to 3,080 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 1,328 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,322 to #9,994.
FAQ
Maharaj surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maharaj?
Name Census estimates that about 3,532 living Americans carry the surname Maharaj. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,043 residents.
How common is Maharaj?
Maharaj ranks #9,994 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,080 people with the surname Maharaj. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Maharaj.
Has Maharaj become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maharaj went from 2,787 recorded bearers to 3,080. That is an increase of 293 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,322 to #9,994.
What does the Census say about the background of Maharaj?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maharaj, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (12.5%). 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 Maharaj in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.4% (1,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maharaj appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (52.4%), Black (22.1%), Two or More Races (12.5%). 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 Maharaj (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 Maharaj mean?
A royal title meaning "great king" in several Indian languages, adopted as a surname by various Indian families. 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 Maharaj (1.03 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 surname Maharaj?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.