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

Prakash, 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 Prakash surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Prakash in America

Prakash is the 12447th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Prakash surname appeared 2,494 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Prakash.

We can also compare 2010 data for Prakash 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 Prakash

The surname Prakash has its origins in India, where it is derived from the Sanskrit word 'prakash', meaning light or illumination. It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name was initially prevalent in the northern and central regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in areas like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. It was often associated with learned individuals, scholars, and those involved in religious or spiritual pursuits.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Persian language administrative document written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions a scholar named Prakash Das, who was a prominent figure in the imperial court.

In the 17th century, the Prakash surname gained prominence in the region of Braj, which was a center of the Bhakti movement in Hinduism. Several notable poets and saints from this period bore the surname, including Surdas Prakash (1478-1583), a revered poet and devotee of Lord Krishna.

Another notable figure from history was Raja Prakash Singh, a 17th-century ruler of the princely state of Chhatarpur in central India. His reign was marked by significant cultural and architectural developments in the region.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Prakash surname continued to be associated with scholars, writers, and intellectuals. One such individual was Ratan Nath Sarshar Prakash (1810-1887), a renowned Hindi poet and writer who contributed significantly to the revival of the Hindi language.

In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with individuals like Rajendra Prakash (1913-1998), who served as the first President of independent India from 1950 to 1962.

Throughout history, the Prakash surname has been represented across various fields, including literature, politics, academics, and the arts. It has maintained its connection to its Sanskrit roots, symbolizing enlightenment and knowledge.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Prakash

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

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

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

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