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

Sekhar, 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 Sekhar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sekhar in America

Sekhar is the 85049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sekhar surname appeared 220 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 Sekhar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sekhar 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 Sekhar

The surname Sekhar is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil language spoken in the southern states of India. It can be traced back to the 8th century CE, during the reign of the Pallava dynasty in the region of modern-day Tamil Nadu.

Sekhar is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shekhar," which means "crest" or "crown." It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who held prominent positions or were considered leaders in their communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sekhar can be found in the inscriptions of the Kailasanatha Temple in Kanchipuram, an ancient city in Tamil Nadu. The inscriptions, dating back to the 7th century CE, mention individuals with the name Sekhar who were associated with the temple's administration and religious activities.

During the Chola Empire, which ruled over a significant part of southern India between the 9th and 13th centuries, the name Sekhar gained further prominence. Several notable figures from this period bore the surname, including Sekhar Varman, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 11th century.

In the 14th century, the Vijayanagar Empire, which controlled large parts of southern India, also had individuals with the surname Sekhar. One prominent figure was Sekhar Nayak, a military commander who played a crucial role in the empire's expansion and defense.

Over the centuries, the surname Sekhar has been associated with various literary and artistic figures. One notable example is Kavikunjara Sekhar, a Tamil poet who lived in the 17th century and composed several works that are still widely studied and appreciated today.

Other notable individuals with the surname Sekhar include:

1. Srinivasa Sekhar (1874-1919), a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer.
2. Kavisha Sekhar (born 1983), a contemporary Indian writer and poet.
3. Sekhar Kammula (born 1972), an acclaimed Indian film director and screenwriter.
4. Sekhar Kapoor (born 1960), an Indian entrepreneur and business executive.
5. Sekhar Menon (1932-2019), a prominent Indian journalist and political commentator.

While the surname Sekhar is more commonly found in the southern states of India, it has also spread to other regions due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sekhar

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

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

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

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