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

Shankar, 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 Shankar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shankar in America

Shankar is the 14111th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shankar surname appeared 2,130 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Shankar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shankar 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 Shankar

The surname "SHANKAR" originated in India and can be traced back to the 6th century CE. It is derived from the Sanskrit words "shanka" meaning "conch shell" and "ra" meaning "giver" or "bestower," suggesting a connection to the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu, who is often depicted holding a conch shell.

The name first appeared in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was found in a 7th-century inscription from the Chalukya dynasty, which ruled in parts of present-day Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

In the 12th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of the renowned philosopher and Hindu reformer, Shankaracharya (788-820 CE), who revived the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy and established several monastic orders across India.

During the Vijayanagar Empire (1336-1646 CE), the name was associated with scholars, poets, and artists who made significant contributions to Hindu literature and culture. One notable figure was the 16th-century poet and composer, Shankaradeva (1449-1568 CE), who played a crucial role in the cultural renaissance of Assam.

In the 18th century, the Maratha Empire saw the rise of Shankaraji Narayan Bhatt (1716-1778 CE), a prominent statesman and administrator who served as the Peshwa (prime minister) of the Maratha confederacy.

Other notable individuals with the surname "SHANKAR" include the 20th-century Indian musician and composer, Ravi Shankar (1920-2012 CE), who popularized Indian classical music worldwide, and the contemporary Indian spiritual leader and motivational speaker, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (born 1956 CE), founder of the Art of Living Foundation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shankar

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

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

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

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