2000
#3,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,649
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Uncommon Last name
Persaud
A surname of Indo-Caribbean origin, derived from the Hindu god Parshuram, an avatar of Vishnu.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,668 Americans carry the last name Persaud. That puts it at #2,745 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Persaud 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 Persaud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,367
Census rank
#2,745
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,791 bearers of the surname Persaud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2745th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Persaud, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and White (12.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Persaud
The surname PERSAUD has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of Punjab and Sindh. It is believed to have derived from the Persian word "Parsai," which translates to "worshipper of fire" or "devotee of fire." This name was likely given to individuals who were adherents of the Zoroastrian faith, which reveres fire as a sacred element.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the British East India Company established trade routes and settlements in the Indian subcontinent, leading to the migration of people from various regions to other parts of the world. It is during this time that the name PERSAUD likely made its way to other countries, particularly those under British colonial rule.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PERSAUD can be found in the British East India Company's records from the late 18th century, where it is mentioned in connection with individuals from the Punjab region who were involved in trade or employed by the company.
In the 19th century, the name PERSAUD appeared in various historical documents and records related to the Indian diaspora, particularly in countries such as Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Fiji, where many indentured laborers from India were brought to work on sugarcane plantations.
Notable individuals with the surname PERSAUD include:
1. Cheddi Jagan (1918-1997), a Guyanese politician and the first democratically elected President of Guyana.
2. Shridath Ramphal (1928-2022), a Guyanese diplomat and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations.
3. Vishnu Persaud (1925-2009), a Guyanese politician and former Minister of Finance.
4. Ravindra Persaud (born 1976), a British-Guyanese psychiatrist and researcher.
5. Sharida Persaud (born 1987), a Guyanese-American actress and model.
The name PERSAUD has also been linked to various place names and geographical locations, particularly in Guyana and the Caribbean region, where communities and villages were established by those with Indian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Persaud
Among Census respondents with the surname Persaud, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and White (12.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Persaud 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 Persaud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander48.0% · 6,141
- Black or African American22.0% · 2,808
- White12.2% · 1,555
- Two or more races7.5% · 957
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 717
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.8% · 613
Timeline
Historical Census data for Persaud
Persaud 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
#3,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,956
+3,307 bearers (+38.2%)
Per 100,000 4.05
Rank movement Up 766 places
2020
#2,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,791
+835 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Up 255 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,766 | 8,649 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,000 | 11,956 | 4.05 | +3,307 bearers (+38.2%) | Up 766 places |
| 2020 | #2,745 | 12,791 | 4.28 | +835 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 255 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 Persaud 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 | #3,000 | #2,745 | 8.5% |
| Count | 11,956 | 12,791 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.05 | 4.28 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Persaud bearers went from 11,956 to 12,791 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 255 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,000 to #2,745.
FAQ
Persaud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Persaud?
Name Census estimates that about 14,668 living Americans carry the surname Persaud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,367 residents.
How common is Persaud?
Persaud ranks #2,745 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,791 people with the surname Persaud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Persaud.
Has Persaud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Persaud went from 11,956 recorded bearers to 12,791. That is an increase of 835 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,000 to #2,745.
What does the Census say about the background of Persaud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Persaud, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and White (12.2%). 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 Persaud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (6,141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Persaud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (48.0%), Black (22.0%), White (12.2%). 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 Persaud (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 Persaud mean?
A surname of Indo-Caribbean origin, derived from the Hindu god Parshuram, an avatar of Vishnu. 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 Persaud (4.28 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 share the surname Persaud?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.