2000
#24,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 973
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Misra
A surname of Indian origin referring to a wealthy or prosperous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,404 Americans carry the last name Misra. That puts it at #13,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Misra 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 Misra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,577
Census rank
#13,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,096 bearers of the surname Misra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Misra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and White (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Misra
The surname Misra is of Indian origin, specifically from the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century CE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "misra," which means "mixed" or "blended," potentially referring to a person of mixed ancestry or someone who belonged to a mixed caste or community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Misra can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata. These texts mention individuals with the surname Misra, often associated with scholarly or priestly roles within the Hindu tradition. The name is also present in various historical records and manuscripts from the medieval era, particularly those related to religious and philosophical texts.
In the 13th century, a prominent scholar and philosopher named Madhavacharya Misra (1238-1317) lived in the Dwaraka region of Gujarat. He wrote several influential works on Vedanta philosophy and is considered one of the most influential thinkers of his time. Another notable figure was Narayan Misra (1499-1581), a renowned poet and writer from the Braj region of northern India, who made significant contributions to Hindi literature.
During the Mughal period, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the name Misra was often associated with learned individuals and scholars. One such figure was Raja Todar Mal Misra (1530-1589), a renowned finance minister and one of the most trusted advisors of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He is credited with reforming the revenue system and introducing policies that improved agricultural productivity.
In more recent history, Jayaprakash Misra (1908-1988) was a prominent Indian independence activist and social reformer who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and worked tirelessly for the upliftment of marginalized communities in India.
Another notable figure was Sumitranandan Pant Misra (1920-1997), a celebrated Hindi poet and writer who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern Hindi literature. His works explored themes of social injustice, poverty, and the human condition, and he received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to Hindi poetry.
The surname Misra has also been associated with various place names and older spellings over the centuries. For example, the town of Misrikh in Uttar Pradesh is believed to have derived its name from the Misra community that settled there. Additionally, variations such as Mishra, Mishri, and Mishri have been used historically, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Misra
Among Census respondents with the surname Misra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and White (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Misra 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 Misra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.4% · 1,789
- Two or more races7.1% · 148
- White5.8% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Misra
Misra 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
#18,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,502
+529 bearers (+54.4%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Up 5,731 places
2020
#13,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,096
+594 bearers (+39.5%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 4,626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,162 | 973 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,431 | 1,502 | 0.51 | +529 bearers (+54.4%) | Up 5,731 places |
| 2020 | #13,805 | 2,096 | 0.70 | +594 bearers (+39.5%) | Up 4,626 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 Misra 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 | #18,431 | #13,805 | 25.1% |
| Count | 1,502 | 2,096 | 39.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.70 | 37.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Misra bearers went from 1,502 to 2,096 (+39.5% change). The surname moved up 4,626 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,431 to #13,805.
FAQ
Misra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Misra?
Name Census estimates that about 2,404 living Americans carry the surname Misra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,577 residents.
How common is Misra?
Misra ranks #13,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,096 people with the surname Misra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Misra.
Has Misra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Misra went from 1,502 recorded bearers to 2,096. That is an increase of 594 (+39.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,431 to #13,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Misra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Misra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and White (5.8%). 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 Misra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (1,789 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Misra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.4%), Two or More Races (7.1%), White (5.8%). 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 Misra (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 Misra mean?
A surname of Indian origin referring to a wealthy or prosperous person. 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 Misra (0.70 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 Americans have the surname Misra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.