2000
#20,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.44
Rare Last name
Murthy
A surname of Indian origin meaning 'Lord Krishna' or 'divine form'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,542 Americans carry the last name Murthy. That puts it at #13,200 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murthy 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 Murthy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,836
Census rank
#13,200
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,217 bearers of the surname Murthy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13200th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murthy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Murthy
The surname Murthy is of Indian origin, specifically from the southern state of Karnataka. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "murthi," which means "form" or "embodiment." The name is believed to have originated during the medieval period in India, around the 10th to 12th centuries.
The Murthy surname is associated with the Brahmin community in Karnataka, and it is believed to have been a title or honorific given to individuals who were considered embodiments of certain deities or spiritual principles. The name was likely adopted as a surname during the later centuries, as the practice of using family names became more widespread in India.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Murthy surname can be found in ancient inscriptions and manuscripts from the Hoysala Empire, which ruled over parts of present-day Karnataka from the 10th to the 14th centuries. The name is also mentioned in historical texts from the Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished in South India from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Murthy was Tontadarya Murthy, a renowned scholar and poet from the Kannada literary tradition. He was born in the town of Maddur in Karnataka and is considered one of the most influential writers of the Vijayanagara period.
Another prominent individual with the Murthy surname was Raghavendra Swami, a revered Hindu saint and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. He was born in the village of Bhuvanagiri in Karnataka in 1595 and is remembered for his spiritual teachings and writings, which continue to be studied and followed by many Hindus today.
In the 18th century, Narasimha Murthy was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the Mysore region of Karnataka. He made significant contributions to the field of astrology and authored several treatises on the subject, which are still studied by scholars and practitioners.
During the 19th century, Govinda Murthy was a notable scholar and educator who helped establish several educational institutions in Karnataka. He was born in 1825 and played a pivotal role in promoting education and literacy in the region.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the Murthy surname is N.R. Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys, one of India's largest and most successful software companies. Born in 1946 in Karnataka, he is widely regarded as a pioneer in the Indian IT industry and has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to business and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murthy
Among Census respondents with the surname Murthy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Murthy 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 Murthy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.3% · 1,891
- White8.4% · 186
- Two or more races4.5% · 100
- Black or African American1.3% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murthy
Murthy 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
#20,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,268
+94 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 80 places
2020
#13,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,217
+949 bearers (+74.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 7,618 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,898 | 1,174 | 0.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,818 | 1,268 | 0.43 | +94 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 80 places |
| 2020 | #13,200 | 2,217 | 0.74 | +949 bearers (+74.8%) | Up 7,618 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 Murthy 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 | #20,818 | #13,200 | 36.6% |
| Count | 1,268 | 2,217 | 74.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.74 | 72.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murthy bearers went from 1,268 to 2,217 (+74.8% change). The surname moved up 7,618 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,818 to #13,200.
FAQ
Murthy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murthy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,542 living Americans carry the surname Murthy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,836 residents.
How common is Murthy?
Murthy ranks #13,200 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,217 people with the surname Murthy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Murthy.
Has Murthy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murthy went from 1,268 recorded bearers to 2,217. That is an increase of 949 (+74.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,818 to #13,200.
What does the Census say about the background of Murthy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murthy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Murthy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (1,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murthy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.3%), White (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Murthy (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 Murthy mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning 'Lord Krishna' or 'divine form'. 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 Murthy (0.74 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 common is the surname Murthy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Murthy is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.