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

Sankar, 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 Sankar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sankar in America

Sankar is the 19282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sankar surname appeared 1,405 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 Sankar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sankar 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 Sankar

The surname SANKAR is of Indian origin, with its roots traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shankara," which means "giver of prosperity" or "bestower of auspiciousness." It is closely associated with Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname SANKAR can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions from various regions of the Indian subcontinent. One notable reference is in the Puranas, a collection of ancient Hindu scriptures written between the 3rd and 10th centuries CE, where the name is mentioned in connection with Lord Shiva's devotees and followers.

In the medieval period, the SANKAR surname gained prominence among Hindu scholars, philosophers, and spiritual leaders. One of the most renowned figures with this surname was Adi Shankara (788-820 CE), a renowned Indian philosopher and theologian who revived the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the development of Hindu thought and continue to influence Indian culture to this day.

Another notable individual with the SANKAR surname was Sankaracharya (788-820 CE), a Hindu philosopher and spiritual leader who established the Dashanami Sampradaya, a monastic tradition within Hinduism. He is revered as one of the most influential figures in Hindu philosophy and is credited with reviving and promoting the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

During the Mughal period in India (16th-19th centuries), the SANKAR surname was also found among Hindu intellectuals, artists, and poets. One such individual was Raja Ram Sankar (1716-1798), a renowned Indian poet and playwright who made significant contributions to the development of Hindi literature.

In more recent times, the SANKAR surname has been associated with notable figures in various fields, including Amartya Sen (born 1933), an Indian economist and philosopher who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998 for his work on welfare economics and social choice theory.

Another famous individual with this surname is Vijay Sankar (1903-1997), an Indian independence activist and politician who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sankar

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

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

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

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