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

Mishra, 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 Mishra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mishra in America

Mishra is the 7601st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mishra surname appeared 4,372 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 Mishra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mishra 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 Mishra

The surname Mishra originates from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the Sanskrit language. It is believed to have derived from the ancient Sanskrit word "Misra," which means "mixed" or "associated with." The name is thought to have originated during the medieval period in India, around the 6th to 12th centuries CE.

In ancient India, the Mishra surname was commonly associated with the Brahmin caste, which was considered the highest caste in the Hindu social hierarchy. The name was often given to individuals who were born from a union between a Brahmin and a non-Brahmin parent, indicating their mixed heritage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mishra surname can be found in the Puranic literature, a collection of ancient Hindu texts that date back to the 4th century CE. The name is also mentioned in various medieval inscriptions and manuscripts, such as the Khajuraho inscriptions from the 10th century CE.

Notable individuals with the Mishra surname throughout history include Adi Shankara (788-820 CE), a renowned Hindu philosopher and theologian who is credited with reviving Hinduism and establishing the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. Another prominent figure was Raja Todar Mal Mishra (1530-1589 CE), a renowned finance minister and revenue administrator during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

In the field of literature, Jayasi Mishra (1498-1598 CE) was a famous Hindi poet who wrote the epic poem "Padmavat," which tells the story of the legendary Queen Padmavati of Chittor. Tulsidas Mishra (1532-1623 CE) was another celebrated poet and philosopher who wrote the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Ramayana in the Awadhi language.

In more recent times, Girish Chandra Mishra (1905-1991 CE) was a renowned Indian freedom fighter and politician who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. Virender Sehwag (born 1978), a former Indian cricketer, and Anupam Mishra (born 1965), an Indian author and columnist, also bear the Mishra surname.

The Mishra name continues to be prevalent in various parts of India, particularly in the northern and central regions, where it is widely associated with the Brahmin community. However, the surname has also been adopted by individuals from other castes and communities over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mishra

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

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

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

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