2000
#16,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,544
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Uncommon Last name
Mishra
A surname of Indian origin, indicating a lineage of Brahmins or a caste of teachers, scholars, and priests.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,196 Americans carry the last name Mishra. That puts it at #3,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mishra 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 Mishra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,617
Census rank
#3,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,891 bearers of the surname Mishra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mishra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mishra
Among Census respondents with the surname Mishra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mishra 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 Mishra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.8% · 8,429
- White2.3% · 208
- Two or more races1.6% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 49
- Black or African American0.4% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mishra
Mishra 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
#7,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,372
+2,828 bearers (+183.2%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 9,376 places
2020
#3,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,891
+4,519 bearers (+103.4%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Up 3,722 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,977 | 1,544 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,601 | 4,372 | 1.48 | +2,828 bearers (+183.2%) | Up 9,376 places |
| 2020 | #3,879 | 8,891 | 2.97 | +4,519 bearers (+103.4%) | Up 3,722 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 Mishra 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 | #7,601 | #3,879 | 49.0% |
| Count | 4,372 | 8,891 | 103.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 2.97 | 101.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mishra bearers went from 4,372 to 8,891 (+103.4% change). The surname moved up 3,722 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,601 to #3,879.
FAQ
Mishra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mishra?
Name Census estimates that about 10,196 living Americans carry the surname Mishra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,617 residents.
How common is Mishra?
Mishra ranks #3,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,891 people with the surname Mishra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mishra.
Has Mishra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mishra went from 4,372 recorded bearers to 8,891. That is an increase of 4,519 (+103.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,601 to #3,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Mishra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mishra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Mishra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (8,429 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mishra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.8%), White (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Mishra (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 Mishra mean?
A surname of Indian origin, indicating a lineage of Brahmins or a caste of teachers, scholars, and priests. 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 Mishra (2.97 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 Mishra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.