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

Rajapakse, 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 Rajapakse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rajapakse in America

Rajapakse is the 102197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rajapakse surname appeared 176 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 Rajapakse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rajapakse 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 Rajapakse

The surname Rajapakse originated in Sri Lanka. It is a Sinhalese name derived from the words "raja" meaning king or monarch, and "paksha" meaning side or faction. The name likely emerged in the medieval era when Sri Lanka was divided into various kingdoms and principalities ruled by different royal families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rajapakse name appears in the Kadirana inscription from the 10th century CE, where it is spelled "Rajapakshaya". This inscription details land grants made by a local chieftain bearing the Rajapakse name.

During the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods (3rd century BCE to 13th century CE), the Rajapakse name was associated with noble families and chieftains who held significant power and influence in various regions of the island. Some prominent Rajapakse figures from this era include Kitti Rajapakse, a military commander mentioned in the Culavamsa chronicles from the 12th century.

In the 16th century, the Rajapakse clan was closely aligned with the Kingdom of Kandy, one of the last remaining independent Sinhalese kingdoms before the arrival of European colonial powers. Muthu Rajapakse, a courtier and advisor to King Vimaladharmasuriya II (reign: 1687-1707), is a notable figure from this period.

During the Portuguese and Dutch colonial eras (16th to 18th centuries), the Rajapakse name is found in various administrative records and land ownership documents, indicating the family's continued prominence in different parts of the island.

In the 19th century, Don Bastian Rajapakse (1810-1879) was a prominent landowner and philanthropist who made significant contributions to education and social development in the Galle region of southern Sri Lanka.

More recently, Don David Rajapakse (1934-2020) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005. His brother, Mahinda Rajapakse (born 1945), was the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rajapakse

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

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

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

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