2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sastri
A name indicating a scholar of sacred texts and rituals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Sastri. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sastri 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Sastri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sastri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (22.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sastri
The surname "SASTRI" has its origins in South Asia, particularly in India, and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shastri," which means a scholar or a learned person.
The name SASTRI was initially associated with members of the Brahmin caste, who were traditionally involved in religious and scholarly pursuits. It was commonly used as a title to denote one's expertise in the sacred texts and scriptures of Hinduism.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SASTRI can be found in ancient Hindu manuscripts and inscriptions, where it was often used to refer to renowned scholars and teachers of the time. For example, the famous 9th-century philosopher and logician, Adi Shankara, was sometimes referred to as Shankara Shastri.
In the medieval period, the name SASTRI gained prominence as many scholars and learned individuals adopted it as their surname. One notable figure was Madhava SASTRI, a 14th-century astronomer and mathematician from Kerala, who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and authored several works on the subject.
Another prominent individual with the surname SASTRI was Appayya Dikshita, a 16th-century scholar and philosopher from South India. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Indian philosophy, particularly Advaita Vedanta.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SASTRI surname was also associated with several poets and literary figures. Srinivasa SASTRI, a 17th-century Telugu poet and scholar, is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the Telugu language.
In more recent history, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a renowned philosopher and statesman, carried the SASTRI surname. He was born in 1888 and served as the second President of India from 1962 to 1967.
Another notable figure with the SASTRI surname was C. Rajagopalachari, who was born in 1878 and played a significant role in India's independence movement. He served as the last Governor-General of India and later became the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency.
Overall, the surname SASTRI has a rich history and is deeply rooted in the tradition of scholarship and learning in India. It continues to be a respected name, carrying with it a legacy of academic and intellectual pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sastri
Among Census respondents with the surname Sastri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (22.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sastri 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 Sastri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander62.4% · 73
- White22.2% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sastri
Sastri appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,121 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 Sastri 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 | #143,149 | #144,270 | -0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 117 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sastri bearers went from 116 to 117 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #144,270.
FAQ
Sastri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sastri?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Sastri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Sastri?
Sastri ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Sastri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sastri.
Has Sastri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sastri went from 116 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Sastri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sastri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (22.2%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Sastri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.4% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sastri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (62.4%), White (22.2%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Sastri (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 Sastri mean?
A name indicating a scholar of sacred texts and rituals. 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 Sastri (0.04 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 Sastri?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.