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

Palit, 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 Palit surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Palit in America

Palit is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Palit surname appeared 132 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 Palit.

We can also compare 2010 data for Palit 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 Palit

The surname PALIT is believed to have originated in India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'palita', which means 'grey' or 'gray'. The name likely referred to someone with grey hair or a grey complexion.

In ancient Indian texts and records, the name PALIT has been found spelled in various ways, including Palita, Pallita, and Pallat. Some of the earliest known references to the name date back to the 8th century CE.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname PALIT was Shri Pallit Deva, a Hindu scholar and philosopher who lived in the 9th century CE. His writings on Hindu philosophy and theology were highly influential during his time.

Another notable bearer of the PALIT name was Raja Pallit Singh, a 16th-century ruler of the princely state of Jaswan in present-day Rajasthan, India. He was known for his military prowess and for expanding the territory under his control.

In the 18th century, Pandit Madhusudan Palit was a renowned Bengali scholar and writer. He authored several works on Hindu philosophy, literature, and grammar, and his contributions helped shape the intellectual landscape of Bengal during that period.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Palit (1820-1891) was a prominent Bengali educator, writer, and social reformer. He played a crucial role in promoting education and advocating for the rights of women in Bengal.

In more recent times, Chittaranjan Palit (1907-1985) was an Indian historian and academic who specialized in the study of ancient Indian history and culture. He held prominent positions at various universities and authored several influential works on Indian history.

While the name PALIT has its roots in India, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, the details of its origin and earliest recorded instances remain firmly rooted in the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Palit

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

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

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

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