2000
#28,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Ramesh
A surname derived from the Sanskrit word ramā, meaning pleasing or delightful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,675 Americans carry the last name Ramesh. That puts it at #9,672 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ramesh 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 Ramesh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 93,266
Census rank
#9,672
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,205 bearers of the surname Ramesh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9672nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramesh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ramesh
The surname Ramesh is of Indian origin, originating from the Sanskrit word "rama" which means "pleasing" or "delightful," and is often associated with the Hindu deity Lord Rama. The name Ramesh gained popularity in the Indian subcontinent during the medieval period, particularly in the northern regions of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ramesh can be found in the Mughal-era historical records, where it was used by several prominent figures in the imperial court. One notable example is Ramesh Dutt, a Sanskrit scholar and writer who lived during the reign of Akbar the Great in the 16th century.
Over the centuries, the name Ramesh has been associated with various literary and cultural figures in India. One such figure was Ramesh Chandra Dutta, a Bengali novelist and playwright who lived from 1793 to 1859 and is known for his satirical works that critiqued social norms of the time.
In the field of science, Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (1888-1980) was a renowned Indian historian and scholar who wrote extensively on the history of ancient and medieval India. His seminal work, "The History and Culture of the Indian People," is considered a monumental contribution to Indian historiography.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Ramesh was Ramesh Balsekar (1917-2009), a spiritual teacher and writer who popularized the concept of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic philosophy rooted in Hindu scriptures.
In the realm of sports, Ramesh Krishnan (born 1961) is a former Indian tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 23 in the world and won several ATP titles in the 1980s and 1990s.
While the surname Ramesh is predominantly found in India, it has also been adopted by individuals of Indian descent in various parts of the world, reflecting the global diaspora of Indian communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ramesh
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramesh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ramesh 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 Ramesh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.4% · 2,963
- White4.2% · 134
- Two or more races1.4% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ramesh
Ramesh 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
#16,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
+1,005 bearers (+126.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 12,267 places
2020
#9,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,205
+1,408 bearers (+78.4%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 6,436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,375 | 792 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,108 | 1,797 | 0.61 | +1,005 bearers (+126.9%) | Up 12,267 places |
| 2020 | #9,672 | 3,205 | 1.07 | +1,408 bearers (+78.4%) | Up 6,436 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 Ramesh 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 | #16,108 | #9,672 | 40.0% |
| Count | 1,797 | 3,205 | 78.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 1.07 | 75.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ramesh bearers went from 1,797 to 3,205 (+78.4% change). The surname moved up 6,436 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,108 to #9,672.
FAQ
Ramesh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ramesh?
Name Census estimates that about 3,675 living Americans carry the surname Ramesh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,266 residents.
How common is Ramesh?
Ramesh ranks #9,672 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,205 people with the surname Ramesh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Ramesh.
Has Ramesh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ramesh went from 1,797 recorded bearers to 3,205. That is an increase of 1,408 (+78.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,108 to #9,672.
What does the Census say about the background of Ramesh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramesh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Ramesh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ramesh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.4%), White (4.2%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Ramesh (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 Ramesh mean?
A surname derived from the Sanskrit word ramā, meaning pleasing or delightful. 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 Ramesh (1.07 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 Ramesh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.