Mahtani last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Mahtani

A surname referring to an influential or important person.

Mahtani, 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 Mahtani surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mahtani in America

Mahtani is the 59324th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mahtani surname appeared 341 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 Mahtani.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mahtani 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 59324 67936 -13.53%
Count 341 271 22.88%
Proportion per 100k 0.12 0.10 18.18%

The history of the last name Mahtani

The surname Mahtani has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, with roots tracing back to the Sanskrit language. It is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "maha," which means "great" or "noble," and "tani," which means "body" or "form." Together, the name Mahtani could be interpreted as "great form" or "noble form."

In its early days, the surname Mahtani was predominantly found in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. It was often associated with families belonging to the Brahmin or Kshatriya castes, which were traditionally considered the upper echelons of Indian society.

Historical records indicate that the Mahtani surname appears in several ancient manuscripts and texts, though the earliest known mention is in a 12th-century Sanskrit text on astrology. This text references a sage named Mahtani, who was renowned for his knowledge of celestial bodies and their movements.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Mahtani surname was Ravi Mahtani, a 15th-century poet and scholar from the city of Agra. His works, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and philosophy, were widely admired and studied in literary circles of the time.

In the 17th century, the Mahtani family gained prominence in the city of Jaipur, where they held influential positions in the court of the Rajput rulers. Notably, Govind Mahtani (1642-1708) served as the chief advisor to the Maharaja of Jaipur and was instrumental in establishing the city's famed architectural marvels.

During the British colonial period in India, the Mahtani surname was also found in regions like Bengal and Gujarat, where members of the family pursued various professions, including business, education, and civil service. One notable figure from this era was Shyam Mahtani (1815-1890), a Bengali scholar and educationist who played a pivotal role in promoting women's education in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

Another prominent Mahtani was Rani Mahtani (1871-1944), a pioneering social reformer from Gujarat. She dedicated her life to uplifting underprivileged communities and advocating for women's rights, establishing several schools and orphanages in the region.

In more recent times, the Mahtani surname has gained global recognition through individuals like Anand Mahtani (1928-2010), an Indian-born businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to education and healthcare initiatives in Southeast Asia.

Overall, the surname Mahtani carries a rich legacy rooted in the cultural and intellectual traditions of the Indian subcontinent, with a history spanning several centuries and encompassing diverse fields of endeavor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mahtani

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

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 Mahtani was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.16% 21
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 86.22% 294
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.11% 14
Hispanic Origin 2.35% 8

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 Mahtani has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.16% 8.86% -35.95%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 86.22% 81.55% 5.57%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.11% 8.86% -73.25%
Hispanic 2.35% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Mahtani last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 21, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mahtani-surname-popularity/.

"Mahtani last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mahtani-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 November, 2024

Mahtani last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/mahtani-surname-popularity/.

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