2000
#19,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Pillai
A surname of Tamil origin referring to a caste of landowners, scholars, and government officials.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,625 Americans carry the last name Pillai. That puts it at #9,784 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,553 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pillai 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 Pillai with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,553
Census rank
#9,784
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,161 bearers of the surname Pillai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9784th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pillai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and White (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pillai
The surname PILLAI is of Tamil origin, originating in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Sri Lanka. The name can be traced back to ancient Tamil dynasties and kingdoms dating as far back as the 6th century BCE.
PILLAI is derived from the Tamil word "Pulavar," which translates to "scholar" or "erudite person." It was initially used as a title or honorific for learned scholars, poets, and intellectuals in the Tamil community. Over time, the title became hereditary and evolved into a surname.
In ancient Tamil literature and inscriptions, the name PILLAI is mentioned in various contexts, referring to revered scholars and poets. One notable example is the Tamil epic "Silappadikaram," which mentions a character named Madurai Pillai, a renowned scholar and grammarian from the city of Madurai.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname PILLAI can be found in the Vatteluttu inscriptions, a form of ancient Tamil script, dating back to the 6th century CE. These inscriptions were found in various parts of Tamil Nadu and mention individuals with the PILLAI surname.
Several prominent figures in Tamil history bore the surname PILLAI. One such individual was Thiruvalluvar Pillai, a legendary Tamil poet and philosopher who lived around the 6th century CE. He is best known for his literary work, "Thirukkural," a collection of couplets on ethics, love, and moral philosophy.
Another notable figure was Avvaiyar Pillai, a revered Tamil poet and spiritual leader who lived in the 9th century CE. She is credited with composing numerous works on ethics, philosophy, and Tamil grammar, and her literary contributions are highly acclaimed in Tamil culture.
In the 12th century CE, Sekkilar Pillai was a prominent Tamil scholar and author who wrote the "Periya Puranam," a hagiographical work on the 63 Nayanars (Tamil Shaivite saints). His work is considered a significant contribution to Tamil literature and Shaivite philosophy.
During the Chola Empire (9th to 13th century CE), the PILLAI surname was associated with numerous scholars, poets, and administrators who played crucial roles in the court and cultural life of the empire. One such individual was Sembiyan Pillai, a renowned minister and scholar during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I.
In the 16th century, Thiru V. K. Pillai, also known as Thiruvalluvar Pillai, was a celebrated Tamil scholar and poet who wrote several literary works, including commentaries on the Thirukkural.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname PILLAI, highlighting its long-standing association with scholarship, literature, and intellectual pursuits within the Tamil community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pillai
Among Census respondents with the surname Pillai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and White (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pillai 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 Pillai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.8% · 2,870
- Two or more races3.8% · 119
- White3.6% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 29
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pillai
Pillai 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
#15,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,944
+687 bearers (+54.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 4,643 places
2020
#9,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,161
+1,217 bearers (+62.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 5,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,806 | 1,257 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,163 | 1,944 | 0.66 | +687 bearers (+54.7%) | Up 4,643 places |
| 2020 | #9,784 | 3,161 | 1.06 | +1,217 bearers (+62.6%) | Up 5,379 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 Pillai 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 | #15,163 | #9,784 | 35.5% |
| Count | 1,944 | 3,161 | 62.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 1.06 | 60.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pillai bearers went from 1,944 to 3,161 (+62.6% change). The surname moved up 5,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,163 to #9,784.
FAQ
Pillai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pillai?
Name Census estimates that about 3,625 living Americans carry the surname Pillai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,553 residents.
How common is Pillai?
Pillai ranks #9,784 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,161 people with the surname Pillai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pillai.
Has Pillai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pillai went from 1,944 recorded bearers to 3,161. That is an increase of 1,217 (+62.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,163 to #9,784.
What does the Census say about the background of Pillai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pillai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and White (3.6%). 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 Pillai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pillai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), White (3.6%). 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 Pillai (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 Pillai mean?
A surname of Tamil origin referring to a caste of landowners, scholars, and government officials. 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 Pillai (1.06 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 last name Pillai?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Pillai? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.