2000
#23,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Natarajan
An Indian surname indicating the family's historical association with the Hindu deity Nataraja, an aspect of Lord Shiva.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,487 Americans carry the last name Natarajan. That puts it at #10,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Natarajan 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 Natarajan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,295
Census rank
#10,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,041 bearers of the surname Natarajan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Natarajan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Natarajan
The surname Natarajan originated in India, specifically in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century AD. The name is derived from the Tamil words "Natarajar," which refer to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer.
Natarajan is a combination of two words: "Natar" meaning "dancer" and "ajan" meaning "lord" or "master." This surname was likely adopted by devotees or followers of Lord Shiva, who revered him as the Lord of Dance (Nataraja). The name may have been associated with individuals involved in temple services, dance, or other artistic pursuits related to Shiva's worship.
Early records mentioning the surname Natarajan can be found in ancient Tamil literature and inscriptions on temple walls dating back to the Chola and Pallava dynasties, which ruled parts of present-day Tamil Nadu between the 6th and 13th centuries AD. Some notable examples include references in the Tevaram hymns composed by the Nayanar saints and in the inscriptions of the Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur, built by the Chola king Rajaraja Chola I in the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname Natarajan was Nataraja Desika, a prominent Hindu philosopher and scholar who lived in the 14th century. He was a renowned exponent of the Vishishtadvaita philosophy and authored several literary works, including the Srimad Rahasyatrayasara.
Another notable figure was Nataraja Mudaliar, a 17th-century Tamil scholar and poet from the Thanjavur region. He is renowned for his contribution to Tamil literature, particularly in the field of grammar and poetics.
In the 19th century, Natarajan Govindhacharya, a Sanskrit scholar and grammarian, gained recognition for his works on Sanskrit grammar and literature. He authored several treatises, including the Narayana Vrittih, a commentary on the Ashtadhyayi of Panini.
During the 20th century, Natarajan Subramaniam, a renowned carnatic vocalist and music composer, left a significant impact on the world of Indian classical music. He was born in 1928 and received numerous accolades, including the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Another notable figure was Natarajan Krishnaswamy, a distinguished mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of partial differential equations. He was born in 1928 and served as a professor at various prestigious institutions, including the Indian Statistical Institute and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Natarajan
Among Census respondents with the surname Natarajan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Natarajan 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 Natarajan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.4% · 2,839
- Two or more races2.9% · 88
- White2.6% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 13
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Natarajan
Natarajan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
+1,026 bearers (+104.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 9,142 places
2020
#10,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,041
+1,029 bearers (+51.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 4,660 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,903 | 986 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,761 | 2,012 | 0.68 | +1,026 bearers (+104.1%) | Up 9,142 places |
| 2020 | #10,101 | 3,041 | 1.02 | +1,029 bearers (+51.1%) | Up 4,660 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 Natarajan 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 | #14,761 | #10,101 | 31.6% |
| Count | 2,012 | 3,041 | 51.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 1.02 | 49.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Natarajan bearers went from 2,012 to 3,041 (+51.1% change). The surname moved up 4,660 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,761 to #10,101.
FAQ
Natarajan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Natarajan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,487 living Americans carry the surname Natarajan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,295 residents.
How common is Natarajan?
Natarajan ranks #10,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,041 people with the surname Natarajan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Natarajan.
Has Natarajan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Natarajan went from 2,012 recorded bearers to 3,041. That is an increase of 1,029 (+51.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,761 to #10,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Natarajan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Natarajan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (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 Natarajan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Natarajan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), White (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 Natarajan (2000, 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 Natarajan mean?
An Indian surname indicating the family's historical association with the Hindu deity Nataraja, an aspect of Lord Shiva. 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 Natarajan (1.02 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 Americans have the surname Natarajan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.