2000
#30,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Rare Last name
Sengupta
A Bengali surname referring to one who deals with or trades in safes or strong boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,855 Americans carry the last name Sengupta. That puts it at #17,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 184,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sengupta 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 Sengupta with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 184,773
Census rank
#17,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,618 bearers of the surname Sengupta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sengupta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and White (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sengupta
The surname Sengupta is of Indian origin, specifically from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It dates back to the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the combination of two Bengali words, "Sen" and "Gupta," where "Sen" is a title or honorific meaning "chief" or "leader," and "Gupta" is an ancient Indian surname that means "protected" or "hidden."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sengupta can be found in historical documents and manuscripts from the Bengal region during the rule of various medieval dynasties, such as the Sena Dynasty and the Pala Empire. The Sengupta surname was prominent among Brahmin families and scholars in Bengal, indicating their status and reputation for learning and wisdom.
One of the earliest known references to the Sengupta surname is found in the "Mangalkavya," a genre of medieval Bengali literature that celebrated the deities and their devotees. The works of renowned poets and scholars like Krittibas Ojha and Bipradas Pipilai mention individuals with the Sengupta surname.
In the 16th century, the Sengupta family played a significant role in the cultural and literary renaissance of Bengal during the reign of the Nawabs of Bengal. Notable figures from this period include Bharat Chandra Ray Sengupta (1601-1651), a celebrated poet and composer, and Raghunandan Sengupta (1547-1617), a Sanskrit scholar and author of the "Raghuvamsasangrahah," a work on the genealogy of the Raghunath family.
During the British colonial period, several Sengupta individuals made their mark in various fields. Kaliprasanna Sengupta (1840-1917) was a renowned educator and social reformer who played a pivotal role in the establishment of Hindu College, now known as Presidency University, in Kolkata. Jyotirindranath Sengupta (1887-1937) was a prominent writer, journalist, and freedom fighter who actively participated in the Indian independence movement.
Another notable figure was Prafulla Chandra Sengupta (1888-1959), a pioneering Indian scientist and inventor who made significant contributions to the fields of geology and metallurgy. He is credited with the invention of the "Sengupta Reagent," a chemical compound used in analytical chemistry.
Sengupta is a well-established surname in India, particularly in the states of West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura, where individuals with this surname have made significant contributions to various aspects of Indian society, including literature, education, science, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sengupta
Among Census respondents with the surname Sengupta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and White (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sengupta 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 Sengupta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.4% · 1,463
- Two or more races4.4% · 72
- White3.7% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sengupta
Sengupta 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
#22,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,147
+427 bearers (+59.3%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 8,146 places
2020
#17,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,618
+471 bearers (+41.1%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 5,298 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,582 | 720 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,436 | 1,147 | 0.39 | +427 bearers (+59.3%) | Up 8,146 places |
| 2020 | #17,138 | 1,618 | 0.54 | +471 bearers (+41.1%) | Up 5,298 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 Sengupta 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 | #22,436 | #17,138 | 23.6% |
| Count | 1,147 | 1,618 | 41.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.54 | 38.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sengupta bearers went from 1,147 to 1,618 (+41.1% change). The surname moved up 5,298 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,436 to #17,138.
FAQ
Sengupta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sengupta?
Name Census estimates that about 1,855 living Americans carry the surname Sengupta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 184,773 residents.
How common is Sengupta?
Sengupta ranks #17,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,618 people with the surname Sengupta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,855), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Sengupta.
Has Sengupta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sengupta went from 1,147 recorded bearers to 1,618. That is an increase of 471 (+41.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,436 to #17,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Sengupta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sengupta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and White (3.7%). 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 Sengupta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sengupta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%), White (3.7%). 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 Sengupta (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 Sengupta mean?
A Bengali surname referring to one who deals with or trades in safes or strong boxes. 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 Sengupta (0.54 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 people are called Sengupta?
If you just want to know how many people are called Sengupta, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.