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

Nanavati, 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 Nanavati surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nanavati in America

Nanavati is the 63218th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nanavati surname appeared 316 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 Nanavati.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nanavati 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 Nanavati

The surname NANAVATI has its origins in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is derived from the Gujarati word "nanavati," which means "to prosper" or "to flourish." The name likely originated among the Nagar Brahmin community in Gujarat during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded references to the NANAVATI surname can be found in the "Rashmala," a 17th-century Gujarati literary work. It mentions a Shri Nanavati Sheth, a prominent merchant and philanthropist from the city of Ahmedabad.

The NANAVATI surname is also associated with the town of Nanavati in the Junagadh district of Gujarat. It is believed that the town was named after a Nanavati family who settled there during the medieval period.

Among notable individuals bearing the NANAVATI surname, one can mention Kanjibhai Nanavati, a prominent social reformer and educationist from Gujarat, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded several schools and institutions dedicated to promoting education and social upliftment.

Another notable figure was Kawas Nanavati, an Indian Naval officer who gained notoriety in the 1950s for the infamous "Nanavati case," a high-profile murder trial that captured the nation's attention and led to significant legal reforms.

In the literary realm, Jayant Nanavati, born in 1928, was a renowned Gujarati poet and playwright, known for his works that explored themes of social justice and human condition.

Moving to the field of science, Viraf Nanavati, born in 1923, was a distinguished Indian nuclear physicist who made significant contributions to the development of India's nuclear program.

Finally, Yashvant Nanavati, born in 1930, was a prominent Indian lawyer and legal scholar who served as the Solicitor General of India and played a crucial role in shaping Indian jurisprudence.

While the NANAVATI surname has its roots in Gujarat, individuals bearing this name can be found across India and around the world, reflecting the diaspora of the Gujarati community over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nanavati

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

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

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

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