2000
#57,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Sabharwal
A surname denoting someone from the Sabharwal village in Punjab, India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 875 Americans carry the last name Sabharwal. That puts it at #32,340 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 391,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sabharwal 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 Sabharwal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
875
1 in 391,719
Census rank
#32,340
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
763
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 763 bearers of the surname Sabharwal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32340th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabharwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sabharwal
The surname "SABHARWAL" is believed to have originated from the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the northern region of Punjab. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "sabha," which means an assembly or a gathering place, and "wal," meaning a person or a dweller. Thus, the surname "SABHARWAL" can be roughly translated to mean "a person associated with an assembly place or a meeting hall."
In the medieval period, the name "SABHARWAL" was closely associated with the Khatri community, a prominent trading and mercantile group in the Punjab region. Many members of this community played influential roles in the courts of various rulers and served as advisors, administrators, and record-keepers. The name "SABHARWAL" is believed to have been adopted by some families within this community, possibly indicating their involvement in organizing or managing assemblies or meeting halls.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SABHARWAL" can be found in the writings of the renowned Sufi poet and scholar, Bulleh Shah (1680-1758). In his poetry, he mentions a person named "Sabharwal," though it is unclear whether this was a reference to an individual or a community.
During the Mughal era, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the "SABHARWAL" name appears in several historical records and documents. One notable figure from this period was Diwan Sabharwal, a prominent finance minister and advisor to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1618-1707).
In more recent history, the "SABHARWAL" surname has been associated with several notable individuals. Gurdial Singh Sabharwal (1911-1977) was a renowned Punjabi writer and playwright, known for his contributions to the literary and cultural landscape of Punjab. Krishan Lal Sabharwal (1924-2003) was an acclaimed Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Cabinet Secretary of India from 1980 to 1984.
Another prominent figure with the "SABHARWAL" surname was Jagdish Sabharwal (1942-2018), a distinguished Indian jurist who served as the Chief Justice of India from 2005 to 2007. He was widely respected for his judicial acumen and his efforts to uphold the principles of justice and democracy.
The "SABHARWAL" name has also been associated with several individuals in the field of education and academia. Dharamvir Sabharwal (1932-2020) was a renowned Indian mathematician and professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, known for his contributions to the field of combinatorics and information theory.
While the surname "SABHARWAL" has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the historical significance and cultural associations of this name remain deeply rooted in the Punjab region and its rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sabharwal
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabharwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sabharwal 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 Sabharwal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.6% · 661
- White6.2% · 47
- Two or more races5.1% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sabharwal
Sabharwal 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
#40,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 532
+200 bearers (+60.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 16,430 places
2020
#32,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 763
+231 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 8,636 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,406 | 332 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,976 | 532 | 0.18 | +200 bearers (+60.2%) | Up 16,430 places |
| 2020 | #32,340 | 763 | 0.26 | +231 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 8,636 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 Sabharwal 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 | #40,976 | #32,340 | 21.1% |
| Count | 532 | 763 | 43.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.26 | 41.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sabharwal bearers went from 532 to 763 (+43.4% change). The surname moved up 8,636 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,976 to #32,340.
FAQ
Sabharwal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sabharwal?
Name Census estimates that about 875 living Americans carry the surname Sabharwal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 391,719 residents.
How common is Sabharwal?
Sabharwal ranks #32,340 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 763 people with the surname Sabharwal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (875), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Sabharwal.
Has Sabharwal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sabharwal went from 532 recorded bearers to 763. That is an increase of 231 (+43.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #40,976 to #32,340.
What does the Census say about the background of Sabharwal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabharwal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Sabharwal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sabharwal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.6%), White (6.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Sabharwal (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 Sabharwal mean?
A surname denoting someone from the Sabharwal village in Punjab, India. 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 Sabharwal (0.26 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 common is the surname Sabharwal?
Find out how many people are called Sabharwal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.