2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nagarkar
A Maharashtrian surname associated with the Nagarkars or town-dwellers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 173 Americans carry the last name Nagarkar. That puts it at #120,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,981,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nagarkar 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.
Bearers in the US
173
1 in 1,981,239
Census rank
#120,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
151
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 151 bearers of the surname Nagarkar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 120768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagarkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nagarkar
The surname Nagarkar is of Indian origin, specifically from the Maharashtra region of western India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "nagar," meaning town or city, and "kar," which means maker or doer. Thus, the name Nagarkar likely referred to someone who was a town planner, architect, or involved in urban development.
The earliest records of the Nagarkar surname can be traced back to the 12th century, during the reign of the Yadava dynasty in the Deccan region. This dynasty patronized the construction of several temples, forts, and towns, and it is possible that the Nagarkars played a role in these architectural endeavors.
One of the earliest known references to the Nagarkar name is found in the Likhitaka inscription, dated 1235 CE, which mentions a person named Nagarkar who was involved in the construction of a temple in the village of Likhitaka, near present-day Pune.
During the Maratha Empire (17th-19th centuries), the Nagarkars held prominent positions as administrators and architects. Malhar Nagarkar (1690-1760) was a renowned engineer and architect who oversaw the construction of several forts and buildings under the Peshwa rulers.
Another notable Nagarkar was Govind Nagarkar (1810-1890), a social reformer and educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in Pune. He played a significant role in promoting female education in the region.
In the field of literature, Sadashiv Nagarkar (1892-1964) was a prominent Marathi writer and poet. He is best known for his novel "Kokila," which explored the social and cultural changes in Maharashtra during the early 20th century.
More recently, Kiran Nagarkar (1942-2019) was a renowned Indian novelist and playwright. His acclaimed works include the novels "Cuckold" and "Bedtime Story," which explored themes of identity, power, and modern Indian society.
The Nagarkar surname continues to be prevalent in the Indian state of Maharashtra, particularly in cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Nashik, where many families with this last name can be found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nagarkar
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagarkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nagarkar 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 Nagarkar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.4% · 138
- White5.3% · 8
- Two or more races2.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nagarkar
Nagarkar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#120,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
+27 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 14,825 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #120,768 | 151 | 0.05 | +27 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 14,825 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 Nagarkar 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 | #135,593 | #120,768 | 10.9% |
| Count | 124 | 151 | 21.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 26.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nagarkar bearers went from 124 to 151 (+21.8% change). The surname moved up 14,825 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #120,768.
FAQ
Nagarkar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nagarkar?
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the surname Nagarkar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,981,239 residents.
How common is Nagarkar?
Nagarkar ranks #120,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 151 people with the surname Nagarkar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nagarkar.
Has Nagarkar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nagarkar went from 124 recorded bearers to 151. That is an increase of 27 (+21.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #135,593 to #120,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Nagarkar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagarkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Nagarkar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nagarkar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.4%), White (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Nagarkar (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 Nagarkar mean?
A Maharashtrian surname associated with the Nagarkars or town-dwellers. 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 Nagarkar (0.05 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 Nagarkar?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Nagarkar, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.