2010
#65,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Nandakumar
From Sanskrit, meaning the beloved son of the god Vishnu.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 612 Americans carry the last name Nandakumar. That puts it at #43,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 560,056 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nandakumar 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 Nandakumar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
612
1 in 560,056
Census rank
#43,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
534
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 534 bearers of the surname Nandakumar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nandakumar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%) and Hispanic (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nandakumar
The surname NANDAKUMAR has its origins in India, stemming from the Sanskrit language. It is a compound name formed by combining the words "nanda," meaning joy or happiness, and "kumar," referring to a prince or a young man of nobility.
This surname likely emerged during the medieval period in India, between the 6th and 13th centuries CE. It was initially associated with Hindu communities, particularly in the northern and central regions of the subcontinent, where Sanskrit was more widely used as a scholarly and literary language.
The earliest recorded instances of the NANDAKUMAR surname can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions, where it was sometimes used as a personal name or a title. One notable example is the 9th-century Hindu philosopher and scholar, Nandakumara Bhatta, who is credited with writing several influential works on philosophy and logic.
In the early medieval period, the NANDAKUMAR surname may have been adopted by individuals belonging to the Kshatriya (warrior) and Brahmin (priestly) castes, as the term "kumar" often denoted a connection to royalty or scholarly lineage. It is possible that some bearers of this surname were descended from minor ruling dynasties or held positions of authority within their communities.
A prominent historical figure bearing the NANDAKUMAR surname was Nandakumar Amara, a 17th-century Bengali poet and playwright who made significant contributions to the development of Bengali literature. His works, such as "Nandakumar Kavya" and "Nandakumar Natak," are considered among the earliest examples of secular literature in the Bengali language.
Another noteworthy individual was Maharaja Nandakumar Sinha, a 19th-century ruler of the princely state of Nagar-Garhi in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. He played a role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and was later recognized for his efforts in promoting education and social reforms within his kingdom.
In more recent times, Nandakumar Kamat, a 20th-century Indian writer and historian, gained recognition for his works on the cultural heritage and history of the western Indian state of Goa, where he was born and raised.
Throughout its history, the NANDAKUMAR surname has been associated with various areas of India, particularly in the northern and eastern regions, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Bengal. It has also been adopted by individuals from different communities and religious backgrounds, reflecting the diverse cultural landscape of the subcontinent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nandakumar
Among Census respondents with the surname Nandakumar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%) and Hispanic (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nandakumar 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 Nandakumar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.6% · 521
- White1.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 2
- Two or more races0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nandakumar
Nandakumar 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
#43,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 534
+232 bearers (+76.8%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 22,036 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #65,593 | 302 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #43,557 | 534 | 0.18 | +232 bearers (+76.8%) | Up 22,036 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 Nandakumar 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 | #65,593 | #43,557 | 33.6% |
| Count | 302 | 534 | 76.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.18 | 78.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nandakumar bearers went from 302 to 534 (+76.8% change). The surname moved up 22,036 positions in the national ranking, going from #65,593 to #43,557.
FAQ
Nandakumar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nandakumar?
Name Census estimates that about 612 living Americans carry the surname Nandakumar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 560,056 residents.
How common is Nandakumar?
Nandakumar ranks #43,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 534 people with the surname Nandakumar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Nandakumar.
Has Nandakumar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nandakumar went from 302 recorded bearers to 534. That is an increase of 232 (+76.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #65,593 to #43,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Nandakumar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nandakumar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%) and Hispanic (0.4%). 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 Nandakumar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.6% (521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nandakumar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.6%), White (1.5%), Hispanic (0.4%). 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 Nandakumar (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 Nandakumar mean?
From Sanskrit, meaning the beloved son of the god Vishnu. 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 Nandakumar (0.18 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 share the surname Nandakumar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.