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

Ninan, 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 Ninan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ninan in America

Ninan is the 38532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ninan surname appeared 574 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 Ninan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ninan 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 Ninan

The surname NINAN is of Indian origin, specifically from the state of Kerala. It is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, where "Ninas" meant "leader" or "chief". The name can be traced back to the 9th century CE, during the reign of the Chera Dynasty in Kerala.

NINAN is thought to have been a title given to influential families or individuals who held positions of authority or leadership within their communities. Over time, the title evolved into a hereditary surname, passed down from generation to generation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NINAN can be found in the Vatteluttu inscriptions, a form of ancient Malayalam script used in Kerala. These inscriptions, dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries, mention individuals with the NINAN surname, often in connection with land grants or administrative positions.

The NINAN surname was particularly prominent among the Nair community, a influential caste in Kerala known for their martial traditions and landholdings. Several prominent members of the Nair community bore the NINAN surname, including Unni Ninan (1535-1610), a respected military commander who served under the Zamorin of Calicut.

In the 16th century, the NINAN surname also appears in Portuguese records from the Malabar Coast, where Portuguese traders and colonists had established settlements. One notable figure was Ninan Kunju (1540-1615), a Nair chieftain who allied with the Portuguese and converted to Christianity.

Other notable individuals with the NINAN surname include Kuroor Ninan Nair (1834-1916), a prominent social reformer and advocate for women's education in Kerala, and Ninan Kunju Nair (1857-1934), a renowned Malayalam poet and writer.

The NINAN surname has also been carried by individuals of prominence in modern times, such as Ninan Koshy (1924-2018), a renowned Indian diplomat and former Foreign Secretary of India, and Ninan Pillai (1909-1995), a celebrated Malayalam author and recipient of the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honor.

While the NINAN surname has its roots in Kerala, it has since spread to other parts of India and across the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain closely tied to the state of Kerala and its rich cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ninan

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

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

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

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