2000
#25,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 889
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Mittal
A surname of Hindu origin meaning a beloved friend or companion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,524 Americans carry the last name Mittal. That puts it at #10,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mittal 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 Mittal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,263
Census rank
#10,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,073 bearers of the surname Mittal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mittal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mittal
The surname Mittal originates from the Indian subcontinent, particularly the northern regions of India and Pakistan. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Mitta," which means "friend" or "ally." The name is believed to have emerged around the 12th century during the medieval period.
The earliest records of the Mittal surname can be found in ancient Hindu texts and manuscripts, where individuals with this name were often mentioned as traders, merchants, or members of the merchant class. The name's connection to the word "Mitta" suggests that the Mittals may have been known for their friendly and trustworthy business dealings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mittal name is found in the "Prithviraj Raso," a medieval Sanskrit epic poem written in the 12th century. The poem mentions a character named Mittal, who was a wealthy merchant involved in trade between different regions of India.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century, the Mittals played a significant role in the region's economic and cultural life. Several prominent Mittal families were engaged in various professions, including trade, banking, and administrative roles within the Mughal bureaucracy.
One notable figure from this period was Mian Mittal, a wealthy merchant and financier who lived in the 17th century. He was known for his involvement in trade with other parts of Asia and even Europe, and his business acumen helped him amass a considerable fortune.
In the 19th century, during the British Raj, the Mittal surname gained further prominence. Lala Shri Ram Mittal (1819-1891) was a renowned philanthropist and industrialist from Calcutta (now Kolkata). He established several educational institutions and was actively involved in social reforms aimed at improving the lives of the underprivileged.
Another influential Mittal was Sir Ganga Ram Mittal (1851-1927), a civil engineer and architect who made significant contributions to the urban development of cities like Lahore and Peshawar (now in Pakistan). He was responsible for designing and constructing several iconic buildings and infrastructure projects during the British colonial era.
In more recent times, the Mittal name has gained global recognition thanks to the success of the Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who founded ArcelorMittal, one of the world's largest steel companies. Born in 1950 in Rajasthan, India, Lakshmi Mittal has been consistently ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mittal
Among Census respondents with the surname Mittal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mittal 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 Mittal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 2,865
- White3.5% · 107
- Two or more races1.7% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mittal
Mittal 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
#16,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
+904 bearers (+101.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 9,809 places
2020
#10,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,073
+1,280 bearers (+71.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,945 | 889 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,136 | 1,793 | 0.61 | +904 bearers (+101.7%) | Up 9,809 places |
| 2020 | #10,014 | 3,073 | 1.03 | +1,280 bearers (+71.4%) | Up 6,122 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 Mittal 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 | #16,136 | #10,014 | 37.9% |
| Count | 1,793 | 3,073 | 71.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 1.03 | 68.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mittal bearers went from 1,793 to 3,073 (+71.4% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,136 to #10,014.
FAQ
Mittal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mittal?
Name Census estimates that about 3,524 living Americans carry the surname Mittal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,263 residents.
How common is Mittal?
Mittal ranks #10,014 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 3,073 people with the surname Mittal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,524), 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 Mittal.
Has Mittal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mittal went from 1,793 recorded bearers to 3,073. That is an increase of 1,280 (+71.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,136 to #10,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Mittal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mittal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mittal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (2,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mittal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), White (3.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Mittal (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 Mittal mean?
A surname of Hindu origin meaning a beloved friend or companion. 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 Mittal (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 last name Mittal?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Mittal, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.