2000
#21,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Sarkar
A surname of Indian origin referring to a person who governs or rules, derived from the Sanskrit word "sārathi".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,016 Americans carry the last name Sarkar. That puts it at #8,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarkar 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 Sarkar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,347
Census rank
#8,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,502 bearers of the surname Sarkar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarkar
The surname Sarkar is of Indian origin, believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "sarkar," which means "government" or "authority." The name was likely given to individuals who held positions of authority or worked for the government during that time.
Sarkar is a common surname found among Hindus, particularly in the states of West Bengal, Assam, and Bangladesh. It is also found in other parts of India and among the Bengali diaspora around the world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sarkar can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative manual written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Sarkar who held administrative positions in the Mughal Empire.
In the 17th century, the name Sarkar appeared in the records of the British East India Company, which had established trading posts in various parts of India. Some notable individuals with the surname Sarkar from this period include Ramkrishna Sarkar (1668-1732), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Bengal, and Govinda Sarkar (1692-1760), a prominent scholar and writer.
During the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Sarkar gained recognition in various fields. One such individual was Iswarchandra Sarkar (1834-1889), a renowned Bengali novelist and playwright. Another was Jadunath Sarkar (1870-1958), a renowned historian and scholar known for his works on the Mughal Empire and the Indian independence movement.
In the 20th century, the name Sarkar continued to be associated with notable figures. Amiya Sarkar (1901-1985) was a renowned Bengali writer and poet, while Benoy Sarkar (1914-1992) was a prominent Indian sculptor and painter. Jayanta Sarkar (1923-2005) was a renowned Bengali writer and academic who made significant contributions to the study of Bengali literature.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sarkar include Nrisingha Prasad Sarkar (1885-1949), a prominent Indian lawyer and politician who served as the President of the Indian National Congress, and Amal Sarkar (1913-1987), a renowned Indian political activist and trade union leader.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarkar
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarkar 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 Sarkar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.3% · 3,196
- White4.3% · 152
- Two or more races2.9% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 30
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarkar
Sarkar 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
#13,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,157
+1,013 bearers (+88.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 7,359 places
2020
#8,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,502
+1,345 bearers (+62.4%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 5,007 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,335 | 1,144 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,976 | 2,157 | 0.73 | +1,013 bearers (+88.5%) | Up 7,359 places |
| 2020 | #8,969 | 3,502 | 1.17 | +1,345 bearers (+62.4%) | Up 5,007 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 Sarkar 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 | #13,976 | #8,969 | 35.8% |
| Count | 2,157 | 3,502 | 62.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 1.17 | 60.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarkar bearers went from 2,157 to 3,502 (+62.4% change). The surname moved up 5,007 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,976 to #8,969.
FAQ
Sarkar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarkar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,016 living Americans carry the surname Sarkar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,347 residents.
How common is Sarkar?
Sarkar ranks #8,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,502 people with the surname Sarkar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Sarkar.
Has Sarkar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarkar went from 2,157 recorded bearers to 3,502. That is an increase of 1,345 (+62.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,976 to #8,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarkar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarkar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sarkar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarkar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.3%), White (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sarkar (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 Sarkar mean?
A surname of Indian origin referring to a person who governs or rules, derived from the Sanskrit word "sārathi". 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 Sarkar (1.17 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 Sarkar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.