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

Nagarajan, 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 Nagarajan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nagarajan in America

Nagarajan is the 25272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nagarajan surname appeared 980 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 Nagarajan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nagarajan 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 Nagarajan

The surname Nagarajan has its origins in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. It is derived from the Tamil words "nagar" meaning town or city, and "ajan" which means ruler or leader. The name likely originated in medieval times when Tamil rulers and chieftains would take on the title of Nagarajan, signifying their status as leaders of a town or city.

One of the earliest known references to the name Nagarajan can be found in inscriptions from the Chola dynasty, which ruled over parts of southern India between the 9th and 13th centuries. These inscriptions mention individuals with the title Nagarajan who held administrative positions in various towns and cities under Chola rule.

In the 15th century, a prominent individual named Nagarajan Ayyangar served as a minister in the court of the Vijayanagar Empire, one of the most powerful Hindu empires in southern India. He is credited with writing several treatises on Hindu law and philosophy.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Nagarajan appeared in various Tamil literary works and manuscripts, suggesting that it was a common surname among the Tamil elite and scholarly class of that period.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Nagarajan was C. Nagarajan (1885-1968), a renowned Indian lawyer and freedom fighter who played a significant role in India's struggle for independence from British rule. He served as the President of the Indian National Congress and was also a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted India's constitution.

Another prominent individual bearing the name Nagarajan was M. Nagarajan (1914-1998), a celebrated Tamil writer and journalist who made significant contributions to Tamil literature. His works explored themes of social justice and human rights, and he was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974.

In more recent times, S.P. Nagarajan (1926-2011) was a renowned Indian physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of solid-state physics. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras and was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor, in 1985.

R. Nagarajan (born 1946) is another notable figure with this surname, having served as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court and the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India.

The surname Nagarajan continues to be prevalent among Tamil communities in southern India, as well as among the Tamil diaspora around the world, reflecting its deep-rooted historical and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nagarajan

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

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

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

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