2000
#15,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Shukla
A surname of Indian origin referring to a learned person, teacher, or one of the Brahmin caste.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,739 Americans carry the last name Shukla. That puts it at #6,518 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shukla 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 Shukla with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 59,724
Census rank
#6,518
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,005 bearers of the surname Shukla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6518th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shukla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shukla
The surname Shukla has its origins in India, tracing back to the ancient Sanskrit language. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "shukla," which translates to "pure" or "bright." This surname was likely adopted by members of the Brahmin caste, who were traditionally known for their scholarly pursuits and dedication to spiritual practices.
The name Shukla can be found in various Hindu scriptures and ancient texts, suggesting its longstanding presence in Indian history. One notable mention is in the Mahabharata, a revered Hindu epic, where the character Shukracharya, also known as Shukla, played a pivotal role as a guru and spiritual teacher.
In the medieval period, the Shukla surname was prevalent among the Hindu community in various regions of India, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Historical records from this era, such as land grants and inscriptions, often documented individuals bearing the Shukla name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Shukla was Shukracharya, a renowned Hindu sage who lived around the 8th century BCE. He was known for his vast knowledge of the Vedas and his contributions to the field of astrology.
Another notable figure was Shalikram Shukla, a 15th-century Hindu philosopher and scholar who wrote extensively on the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. His works, such as the "Shri Vidya Ratna," were highly influential in his time.
In the 16th century, Pandit Vireshwar Shukla, a renowned astronomer and mathematician, made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. His work, "Siddhanta Shiromani," was a treatise on astronomical calculations and became a seminal text in Indian astronomy.
During the Mughal era, the Shukla surname was also associated with the literary and artistic spheres. Tulsidas Shukla, a 16th-century poet and philosopher, is renowned for his poetic rendition of the Hindu epic Ramayana, known as the "Ramcharitmanas."
In more recent times, Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1895-1982), a prominent Indian scholar, spiritual teacher, and advocate of non-violent social reform, bore the Shukla surname. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and played a significant role in the Bhoodan movement, which aimed to redistribute land to the landless.
While the Shukla name has its roots in ancient India, it has since spread across the globe, with members of the Indian diaspora carrying this surname to various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shukla
Among Census respondents with the surname Shukla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shukla 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 Shukla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.9% · 4,700
- White2.9% · 143
- Two or more races2.1% · 105
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shukla
Shukla 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
#10,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,176
+1,406 bearers (+79.4%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 5,093 places
2020
#6,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,005
+1,829 bearers (+57.6%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 3,641 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,252 | 1,770 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,159 | 3,176 | 1.08 | +1,406 bearers (+79.4%) | Up 5,093 places |
| 2020 | #6,518 | 5,005 | 1.67 | +1,829 bearers (+57.6%) | Up 3,641 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 Shukla 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 | #10,159 | #6,518 | 35.8% |
| Count | 3,176 | 5,005 | 57.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.67 | 55.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shukla bearers went from 3,176 to 5,005 (+57.6% change). The surname moved up 3,641 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,159 to #6,518.
FAQ
Shukla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shukla?
Name Census estimates that about 5,739 living Americans carry the surname Shukla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,724 residents.
How common is Shukla?
Shukla ranks #6,518 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,005 people with the surname Shukla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,739), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Shukla.
Has Shukla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shukla went from 3,176 recorded bearers to 5,005. That is an increase of 1,829 (+57.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,159 to #6,518.
What does the Census say about the background of Shukla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shukla, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Shukla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (4,700 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shukla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.9%), White (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Shukla (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 Shukla mean?
A surname of Indian origin referring to a learned person, teacher, or one of the Brahmin caste. 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 Shukla (1.67 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 Shukla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.