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

Murali, 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 Murali surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Murali in America

Murali is the 31107th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Murali surname appeared 746 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 Murali.

We can also compare 2010 data for Murali 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 Murali

The surname Murali is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It traces its roots back several centuries, likely to the medieval period between the 6th and 13th centuries.

One of the earliest known references to the name Murali can be found in ancient Tamil literature, where it was used as a title or epithet for Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war and victory. The name is derived from the Tamil word "muralivan," which means "he who wields the murasil," referring to the ancient weapon resembling a javelin or spear.

Murali was also a popular name among the Vijayanagar Empire, a powerful Hindu kingdom that ruled over much of southern India from the 14th to the 17th century. Historical records from this period, such as inscriptions on temple walls and copper plates, mention individuals with the surname Murali holding various administrative and military positions.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Murali was Murali Ranga Iyengar, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century. He is credited with writing several celebrated works in Tamil literature, including the Murali Ramayanam, a retelling of the Ramayana epic.

Another notable figure was Murali Manohar Joshi, an Indian politician and former professor of political science who served as the Minister of Human Resource Development in the Vajpayee government from 1999 to 2004. He was born in 1934 and played a significant role in shaping India's education policies during his tenure.

In the realm of sports, Murali Kartik, an Indian cricketer who played for the Indian national team as a left-arm spinner, made his mark on the game. He was born in 1976 and represented India in various formats, including Test matches and One Day Internationals, between 2000 and 2007.

The name Murali is also associated with Muttiah Muralitharan, one of the greatest off-spin bowlers in the history of cricket. Hailing from Sri Lanka, Muralitharan was born in 1972 and held the record for the highest number of wickets in both Test and One Day International cricket until his retirement in 2011.

Lastly, Murali K. Menon, an Indian-American physicist and entrepreneur, deserves mention. Born in 1965, Menon co-founded several successful technology startups and is renowned for his contributions to the field of nanotechnology and microelectronics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Murali

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

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

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

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