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

Sastry, 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 Sastry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sastry in America

Sastry is the 49365th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sastry surname appeared 426 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 Sastry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sastry 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 Sastry

The surname Sastry has its origins in India, specifically in the southern region of the country. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shastri," which means "scholar" or "teacher." This surname is commonly found among members of the Brahmin community, who traditionally held positions as priests, scholars, and teachers.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sastry can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and manuscripts, where individuals with this name were often mentioned as learned scholars and teachers. One notable example is the 8th-century scholar Adi Shankara, also known as Shankara Sastry, who was a renowned philosopher and the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.

In the medieval period, the Sastry surname gained prominence as many individuals bearing this name played important roles in the dissemination of knowledge and the preservation of Hindu culture and traditions. The Vijayanagar Empire, which ruled a significant portion of southern India from the 14th to the 17th century, was known to have patronized scholars and intellectuals, including those with the Sastry surname.

One of the most renowned figures with the Sastry surname was Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920), a self-taught mathematical genius who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of mathematics. His work and life have been widely celebrated and have inspired many generations of mathematicians and scientists.

Another notable individual with the Sastry surname was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1888-1970), an Indian physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his groundbreaking work on the scattering of light, known as the Raman effect.

The Sastry surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the town of Sastry in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, India, is believed to have been named after individuals bearing this surname who resided in the area.

Throughout history, the Sastry surname has been carried by numerous scholars, teachers, and intellectuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including philosophy, mathematics, physics, and literature. Their legacy continues to shape the cultural and academic landscape of India and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sastry

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

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

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

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