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

Narayanaswamy, 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 Narayanaswamy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Narayanaswamy in America

Narayanaswamy is the 76029th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Narayanaswamy surname appeared 253 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 Narayanaswamy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Narayanaswamy 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 Narayanaswamy

The surname Narayanaswamy is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil Nadu region of southern India. It dates back several centuries and is derived from a combination of two Sanskrit words: "Narayana," which is one of the names of the Hindu god Vishnu, and "Swamy," meaning lord or master.

This surname was likely adopted by families who had a deep reverence for Lord Vishnu or were associated with temples dedicated to him. It is believed to have originated among the Brahmin community, the highest caste in the traditional Hindu social hierarchy, who were often employed as priests, scholars, and teachers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Narayanaswamy can be found in the inscriptions on the walls of the ancient Brahadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, which dates back to the 11th century CE. These inscriptions mention individuals with this surname who served as administrators or held important positions within the temple complex.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Narayanaswamy was Govinda Dikshita (1520-1609), a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. He authored several texts and was highly respected for his knowledge and wisdom.

Another notable individual with this surname was Narayanaswamy Iyer (1825-1906), a prominent Indian judge and administrator who served as the Dewan (Prime Minister) of the princely state of Travancore (now part of Kerala) from 1880 to 1888. He played a crucial role in modernizing the state's administration and introducing various reforms.

In the 20th century, K. Narayanaswamy (1904-1991) was a distinguished Indian mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education. He served as the founder-director of the Madras Institute of Mathematics and was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, for his contributions.

S. Narayanaswamy (1924-2010) was a prominent Indian economist and academic who served as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (India's central banking institution) from 1977 to 1978. He was also a member of the Planning Commission of India and played a crucial role in shaping the country's economic policies during his tenure.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Narayanaswamy who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history. The name continues to be prevalent in Tamil Nadu and other parts of southern India, carrying with it a rich cultural and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Narayanaswamy

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

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

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

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