2000
#45,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Purewal
An Indian surname meaning someone from the village of Purah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 828 Americans carry the last name Purewal. That puts it at #33,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 413,955 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Purewal 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 Purewal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
828
1 in 413,955
Census rank
#33,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
722
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 722 bearers of the surname Purewal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Purewal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and White (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Purewal
The surname Purewal is of Punjabi origin, hailing from the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have originated in the region of Punjab, which is now divided between India and Pakistan. The name can be traced back to the 16th or 17th century.
The name Purewal is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pur,' meaning town or city, and the Punjabi word 'val,' which refers to a resident or inhabitant. Thus, Purewal literally translates to "one who lives in a town or city." This suggests that the name was likely given to people who resided in urban areas or settlements during that time period.
In the early days, surnames were often based on one's occupation, location, or physical traits. The name Purewal may have been initially adopted by individuals who lived in towns or cities, distinguishing them from those who lived in rural areas or villages.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient manuscripts or chronicles, some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Purewal can be found in historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Punjab region.
Notable individuals with the surname Purewal include Bishan Singh Purewal, a renowned Punjabi poet and writer who lived in the early 20th century (1898-1976). Another prominent figure was Gurbaksh Singh Purewal, a Sikh scholar and historian who made significant contributions to the study of Sikhism (1912-1999).
Jagjit Singh Purewal (1931-2021) was a prominent Indian politician and member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament. Hardev Singh Purewal (1920-2000) was a distinguished Punjabi writer and playwright, known for his contributions to Punjabi literature.
Jagir Singh Purewal (1903-1982) was a notable Indian freedom fighter and political activist who participated in the struggle for India's independence from British rule.
The Purewal name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, scholars, politicians, and freedom fighters, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Purewal
Among Census respondents with the surname Purewal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and White (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Purewal 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 Purewal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.0% · 635
- Two or more races5.7% · 41
- White4.8% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Purewal
Purewal 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
#36,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 616
+173 bearers (+39.1%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 9,145 places
2020
#33,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 722
+106 bearers (+17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 2,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,482 | 443 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,337 | 616 | 0.21 | +173 bearers (+39.1%) | Up 9,145 places |
| 2020 | #33,884 | 722 | 0.24 | +106 bearers (+17.2%) | Up 2,453 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 Purewal 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 | #36,337 | #33,884 | 6.8% |
| Count | 616 | 722 | 17.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.24 | 15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Purewal bearers went from 616 to 722 (+17.2% change). The surname moved up 2,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,337 to #33,884.
FAQ
Purewal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Purewal?
Name Census estimates that about 828 living Americans carry the surname Purewal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 413,955 residents.
How common is Purewal?
Purewal ranks #33,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 722 people with the surname Purewal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Purewal.
Has Purewal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Purewal went from 616 recorded bearers to 722. That is an increase of 106 (+17.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,337 to #33,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Purewal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Purewal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and White (4.8%). 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 Purewal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Purewal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.0%), Two or More Races (5.7%), White (4.8%). 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 Purewal (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 Purewal mean?
An Indian surname meaning someone from the village of Purah. 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 Purewal (0.24 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 Americans have the surname Purewal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.