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

Rangarajan, 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 Rangarajan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rangarajan in America

Rangarajan is the 47966th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rangarajan surname appeared 441 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 Rangarajan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rangarajan 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 Rangarajan

The surname Rangarajan has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. It is a patronymic surname derived from the Tamil personal name Rangara, which itself is a combination of the words "ranga" meaning "stage" or "scene" and "ara" meaning "king" or "lord." Historically, the name Rangarajan would have referred to someone who was a performer or an actor on stage, or someone associated with the arts or theater.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Rangarajan can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various inscriptions and manuscripts from the region. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Rangarajan Ayyangar, a prominent scholar and poet who lived in the late 16th century and authored several works in Tamil literature.

In the 18th century, the name Rangarajan gained prominence with the birth of Rangarajan Thathachariar, a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of calculus and celestial mechanics. He was born in 1767 and lived until 1837.

Another notable figure with the surname Rangarajan was Rangarajan Naicker, a prominent freedom fighter and social reformer who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. He was born in 1878 and passed away in 1956.

The name Rangarajan has also been associated with notable Indian scientists and academics. One such individual was Rangarajan Govindan, a renowned physicist and the first Indian to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1972. He was born in 1916 and lived until 2001.

Another distinguished bearer of the surname was Rangarajan Parthasarathy, a celebrated mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of theoretical computer science. He was born in 1938 and passed away in 2018.

While the surname Rangarajan has its roots in Tamil Nadu, it has since spread to other parts of India and even to other countries with significant Indian diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of southern India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rangarajan

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

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

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

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