2000
#26,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Sankar
Originally referring to a person connected to the Hindu god Shiva.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,202 Americans carry the last name Sankar. That puts it at #14,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sankar 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 Sankar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,656
Census rank
#14,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,920 bearers of the surname Sankar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sankar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and White (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sankar
Among Census respondents with the surname Sankar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and White (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sankar 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 Sankar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander63.7% · 1,223
- Black or African American14.8% · 285
- White8.6% · 165
- Two or more races8.2% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sankar
Sankar 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
#19,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,405
+532 bearers (+60.9%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 7,024 places
2020
#14,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,920
+515 bearers (+36.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 4,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,306 | 873 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,282 | 1,405 | 0.48 | +532 bearers (+60.9%) | Up 7,024 places |
| 2020 | #14,821 | 1,920 | 0.64 | +515 bearers (+36.7%) | Up 4,461 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 Sankar 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 | #19,282 | #14,821 | 23.1% |
| Count | 1,405 | 1,920 | 36.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.64 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sankar bearers went from 1,405 to 1,920 (+36.7% change). The surname moved up 4,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,282 to #14,821.
FAQ
Sankar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sankar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,202 living Americans carry the surname Sankar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,656 residents.
How common is Sankar?
Sankar ranks #14,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,920 people with the surname Sankar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Sankar.
Has Sankar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sankar went from 1,405 recorded bearers to 1,920. That is an increase of 515 (+36.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,282 to #14,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Sankar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sankar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and White (8.6%). 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 Sankar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (1,223 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sankar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (63.7%), Black (14.8%), White (8.6%). 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 Sankar (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 Sankar mean?
Originally referring to a person connected to the Hindu god Shiva. 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 Sankar (0.64 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 Sankar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.