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

Moorthy, 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 Moorthy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moorthy in America

Moorthy is the 58042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moorthy surname appeared 350 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 Moorthy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moorthy 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 Moorthy

The surname Moorthy is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the southern regions of the country. It is thought to have derived from the Tamil word "Moorthy," which means an image, idol, or manifestation of a deity. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals or families involved in religious practices or temple traditions.

One of the earliest known references to the name Moorthy can be found in ancient Tamil literature, particularly in the works of renowned poets and scholars from the Sangam period, which dates back to the 6th century BCE to the 3rd century CE. These literary works often mentioned individuals with the name Moorthy, indicating its usage and presence during that era.

In the medieval period, the name Moorthy appeared in various inscriptions and records, particularly those related to temple administrations and religious institutions in the southern states of India. For instance, there are mentions of individuals named Moorthy in the inscriptions found in the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, which dates back to the 11th century CE.

One notable figure bearing the surname Moorthy was Kandadai Moorthy Nayakkar, a 17th-century ruler of the Madurai Nayak kingdom in Tamil Nadu. He was known for his patronage of arts and culture and played a significant role in the development of the region during his reign from 1659 to 1682.

Another prominent individual with the surname Moorthy was Sir Annamalai Chettiar Ramasamy Moorthy, a prominent Indian businessman and philanthropist from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1892 and played a crucial role in establishing educational institutions and promoting social welfare initiatives in the southern parts of India.

In the 20th century, one of the most renowned figures with the surname Moorthy was Dr. T.S. Sadasivam Moorthy, a renowned Tamil scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study and preservation of the Tamil language. He was born in 1903 and served as the Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University from 1959 to 1964.

Another notable individual was Dr. P.S. Moorthy, a pioneering Indian scientist and engineer who played a pivotal role in the development of India's space program. He was born in 1919 and served as the Director of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from 1972 to 1984.

It is worth mentioning that the surname Moorthy is predominantly found in the southern states of India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, where it has a rich historical and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moorthy

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

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

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

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