2000
#3,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Uncommon Last name
Rao
A surname of Indian origin, often indicating a connection to the Kshatriya varna or the ruling and military elite.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,262 Americans carry the last name Rao. That puts it at #2,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rao 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 Rao with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,856
Census rank
#2,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,053 bearers of the surname Rao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (13.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rao
The surname "RAO" is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the regions of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The name has its roots in the Sanskrit language and is derived from the word "Ravu," which means "king" or "ruler."
In ancient India, the title "Rao" was bestowed upon members of the ruling class, particularly those who held positions of power and authority within the Hindu caste system. The name has a long and illustrious history, with records indicating its use as early as the 8th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "RAO" can be found in the Kakatiya Dynasty, which ruled parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana between the 12th and 14th centuries. Several rulers of this dynasty, such as Prataparudra Rao (1289-1323), bore the "Rao" surname.
During the Vijayanagara Empire, which dominated the southern regions of India from the 14th to the 17th century, the "RAO" surname gained even greater prominence. The empire was known for its patronage of art, literature, and architecture, and many prominent figures from this era carried the "Rao" name.
One notable individual was Krishnadevaraya Rao (1509-1529), a celebrated ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire who was renowned for his military prowess, administrative skills, and patronage of the arts. Another famous figure was Tenali Ramakrishna Rao (1510-1579), a renowned scholar, poet, and philosopher who served as a minister in the court of Krishnadevaraya Rao.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the "RAO" surname was also associated with various princely states and dynasties in southern India. For example, the Nizam of Hyderabad, a princely state that existed until the mid-20th century, was ruled by the Asaf Jah dynasty, whose members often carried the "Rao" surname.
Other notable individuals with the "Rao" surname include Sir C.V. Raman Rao (1888-1970), an Indian physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his groundbreaking work on the scattering of light, and P.V. Narasimha Rao (1921-2004), a former Prime Minister of India who played a crucial role in the country's economic liberalization in the 1990s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rao
Among Census respondents with the surname Rao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (13.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rao 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 Rao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.6% · 12,280
- White13.0% · 1,957
- Two or more races3.6% · 541
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 166
- Black or African American0.5% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rao
Rao 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
#3,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,672
+3,249 bearers (+38.6%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Up 797 places
2020
#2,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,053
+3,381 bearers (+29.0%)
Per 100,000 5.04
Rank movement Up 712 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,872 | 8,423 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,075 | 11,672 | 3.96 | +3,249 bearers (+38.6%) | Up 797 places |
| 2020 | #2,363 | 15,053 | 5.04 | +3,381 bearers (+29.0%) | Up 712 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 Rao 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 | #3,075 | #2,363 | 23.2% |
| Count | 11,672 | 15,053 | 29.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.96 | 5.04 | 27.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rao bearers went from 11,672 to 15,053 (+29.0% change). The surname moved up 712 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,075 to #2,363.
FAQ
Rao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rao?
Name Census estimates that about 17,262 living Americans carry the surname Rao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,856 residents.
How common is Rao?
Rao ranks #2,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,053 people with the surname Rao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Rao.
Has Rao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rao went from 11,672 recorded bearers to 15,053. That is an increase of 3,381 (+29.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,075 to #2,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Rao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (13.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (12,280 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.6%), White (13.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rao (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 Rao mean?
A surname of Indian origin, often indicating a connection to the Kshatriya varna or the ruling and military elite. 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 Rao (5.04 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 Rao?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.