2000
#19,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Shankar
A surname of Indian origin, derived from Sanskrit, meaning "one who brings about prosperity or grants wishes."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,735 Americans carry the last name Shankar. That puts it at #9,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shankar 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 Shankar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,768
Census rank
#9,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,257 bearers of the surname Shankar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shankar
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shankar 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 Shankar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.6% · 2,984
- White3.3% · 109
- Two or more races3.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shankar
Shankar 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
#14,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
+859 bearers (+67.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 5,518 places
2020
#9,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,257
+1,127 bearers (+52.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 4,566 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,629 | 1,271 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,111 | 2,130 | 0.72 | +859 bearers (+67.6%) | Up 5,518 places |
| 2020 | #9,545 | 3,257 | 1.09 | +1,127 bearers (+52.9%) | Up 4,566 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 Shankar 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 | #14,111 | #9,545 | 32.4% |
| Count | 2,130 | 3,257 | 52.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 1.09 | 51.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shankar bearers went from 2,130 to 3,257 (+52.9% change). The surname moved up 4,566 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,111 to #9,545.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shankar
FAQ
Shankar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shankar?
Name Census estimates that about 3,735 living Americans carry the surname Shankar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,768 residents.
How common is Shankar?
Shankar ranks #9,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,257 people with the surname Shankar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Shankar.
Has Shankar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shankar went from 2,130 recorded bearers to 3,257. That is an increase of 1,127 (+52.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,111 to #9,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Shankar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Shankar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shankar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.6%), White (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Shankar (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 Shankar mean?
A surname of Indian origin, derived from Sanskrit, meaning "one who brings about prosperity or grants wishes." 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 Shankar (1.09 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 have the surname Shankar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.