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

Panjabi, 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 Panjabi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Panjabi in America

Panjabi is the 137327th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Panjabi surname appeared 122 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 Panjabi.

The history of the last name Panjabi

The surname Panjabi has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. It is derived from the Persian word "Panjab," which means "five waters" or "land of five rivers," referring to the five major rivers that flow through the region: the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.

The Panjabi surname is believed to have emerged during the 16th century, when the Mughal Empire ruled over a large part of the Indian subcontinent. During this period, many people from the Punjab region began to adopt the term "Panjabi" as a part of their surname to indicate their place of origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Panjabi surname can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Panjabi, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

In the 17th century, the Panjabi surname is mentioned in various historical records, such as the Mughal court chronicles and local administrative documents. One notable figure from this period is Dara Shikoh (1615-1659), the eldest son of Shah Jahan and a Sufi scholar who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Panjabi surname continued to be associated with people from the Punjab region, including several prominent figures in the fields of literature, art, and politics. One such individual was Khushwant Singh (1915-2014), a renowned Indian writer, journalist, and diplomat who wrote extensively on Punjabi culture and history.

Another notable figure with the Panjabi surname is Nanak Singh (1897-1971), a Punjabi writer and novelist who is considered one of the pioneers of modern Punjabi literature. His works, such as "Pavittar Papi" and "Ek Mian Do Talwaran," explored the social and cultural aspects of Punjabi life.

In the 20th century, the Panjabi surname gained prominence globally as many people from the Punjab region immigrated to various parts of the world, carrying their surname with them. One such individual is Montek Singh Ahluwalia (born 1944), an Indian-American economist who served as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 2004 to 2014.

Another notable figure is Ajay Panjabi (born 1976), a British businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the fashion brand Superdry. His surname reflects his Punjabi heritage and has become associated with the successful global brand he helped create.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Panjabi

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

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 Panjabi 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!