2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Padama
A Hinduized version of the Indian surname Padma, derived from the Sanskrit word for lotus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Padama. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Padama 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.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Padama in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Padama, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.6%) and Two or More Races (15.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Padama
The surname Padama has its origins in India, where it first emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "padma," which means "lotus flower." This connection to the sacred lotus plant suggests that the name may have been associated with Hindu religious or spiritual traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Padama surname can be found in ancient Hindu texts and manuscripts, such as the Padma Purana, a significant Hindu scripture composed around the 5th century CE. This text contains numerous references to the lotus flower and its symbolic significance in Hindu mythology and philosophy.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the Padama surname was Padama Shri, a revered Hindu scholar and poet who lived in the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India. His works, including the epic poem "Padama Ramayana," continue to be celebrated and studied to this day.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th century, the Padama surname was also found among courtiers and officials. One prominent example is Padama Khan, a high-ranking military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century.
In more recent history, the Padama surname has been associated with several influential figures. Padama Vibhushan, a renowned Indian physicist and academic, made significant contributions to the field of nuclear science in the 20th century. He was born in 1905 and passed away in 1983.
Another notable bearer of the Padama surname was Padama Bhushan, a celebrated Indian artist and sculptor who lived from 1918 to 2002. Her works, which often drew inspiration from Indian mythology and folklore, are displayed in galleries and museums around the world.
While the Padama surname is most commonly found in India, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Hindu traditions and the symbolic significance of the lotus flower in Indian culture and spirituality.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Padama
Among Census respondents with the surname Padama, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.6%) and Two or More Races (15.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Padama 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 Padama surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander63.6% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino19.6% · 21
- Two or more races15.9% · 17
- White0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Padama
Padama 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+7 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 9,336 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 Padama 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 | #160,975 | #151,639 | 5.8% |
| Count | 100 | 107 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Padama bearers went from 100 to 107 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 9,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #151,639.
FAQ
Padama surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Padama?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Padama. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Padama?
Padama ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Padama. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Padama.
Has Padama become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Padama went from 100 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 7 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Padama?
Among Census respondents with the surname Padama, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.6%) and Two or More Races (15.9%). 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 Padama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Padama appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (63.6%), Hispanic (19.6%), Two or More Races (15.9%). 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 Padama (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 Padama mean?
A Hinduized version of the Indian surname Padma, derived from the Sanskrit word for lotus. 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 Padama (0.04 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 have the surname Padama?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.