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

Sharma, 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 Sharma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sharma in America

Sharma is the 1236th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sharma surname appeared 28,559 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Sharma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sharma 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 Sharma

The surname SHARMA is of Indian origin, originating from the Sanskrit word 'Sharman' meaning 'shelter' or 'protection'. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century BCE during the Vedic period in ancient India.

The name SHARMA was initially associated with the Brahmin caste, who were traditionally priests, scholars, and teachers in Hindu society. It was a title bestowed upon those who had mastered the Vedas, the sacred Hindu scriptures, and provided spiritual guidance to the community.

The earliest known references to the name SHARMA can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions. One notable mention is in the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic dating back to the 8th century BCE, where several characters bear the SHARMA surname.

In the 11th century CE, the SHARMA name gained prominence with the rise of the Rajput ruler Anangpal Tomar, who established the Tomar dynasty in present-day Delhi and Haryana regions. His descendants, including the famous ruler Prithviraj Chauhan (1166-1192 CE), carried the SHARMA surname.

Over time, the SHARMA surname spread across various regions of India, particularly in the northern and western parts of the country. Some notable individuals with the SHARMA surname include:

1. Pandit Vishnu Sharma (c. 3rd century BCE), the legendary author of the ancient Sanskrit collection of fables and folktales known as the Panchatantra.

2. Aryabhata (476-550 CE), a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who contributed significantly to the field of astronomy and developed the concept of zero.

3. Acharya Shridhara (c. 8th century CE), a prominent Hindu philosopher and commentator on various Sanskrit texts, including the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita.

4. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833 CE), a Bengali Hindu Renaissance figure who played a pivotal role in the abolition of the practice of Sati (widow burning) and the revival of Hinduism.

5. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861-1946 CE), an Indian educationist and politician who founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and was a prominent member of the Indian Independence Movement.

The SHARMA surname is also closely associated with various place names and localities across India, such as Sharma Nagar, Sharma Colony, and Sharma Kund, reflecting the widespread presence of individuals bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sharma

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

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

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

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