2000
#12,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Srinivasan
A South Indian surname meaning "descendant of Srinivasa," a name of the Hindu god Vishnu.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,185 Americans carry the last name Srinivasan. That puts it at #5,372 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,704 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Srinivasan 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 Srinivasan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,704
Census rank
#5,372
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,266 bearers of the surname Srinivasan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5372nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Srinivasan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Srinivasan
The surname Srinivasan has its origins in India, and it can be traced back to the Tamil language spoken in the southern part of the country. The name is derived from the combination of two words: "Sri" and "Nivasan," where "Sri" is an honorific title, and "Nivasan" means "dwelling place" or "residence."
The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 6th century CE, when the Tamil culture and language flourished in the region. It is closely associated with the Vaishnavite tradition within Hinduism, as the name often refers to the abode or dwelling place of Lord Vishnu or his incarnations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Srinivasan can be found in ancient Tamil literary works, such as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, a collection of devotional poems composed by the Alvar saints between the 6th and 9th centuries CE. These poems frequently mention the name in reference to the Lord's dwelling places and temples.
In the 12th century, a renowned Tamil philosopher and scholar named Srinivasa Tatacharya (1135-1230 CE) was known for his contributions to the Vishishtadvaita philosophy. He is often referred to as Srinivasa, which is a variant of the name Srinivasan.
Another notable figure with this surname was Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920), a self-taught Indian mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. His work on infinite series and continued fractions has had a profound impact on modern mathematics.
The name Srinivasan has also been associated with various places and temples in Tamil Nadu, such as the Srirangam Temple, one of the most important Vaishnavite shrines dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The town of Srirangam, where the temple is located, has historically been a center of Tamil culture and Vaishnavite tradition.
Other notable individuals with the surname Srinivasan include:
1. C. V. Srinivasan (1904-1970), an Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement.
2. M. S. Srinivasan (1911-1986), an Indian mathematician and statistician known for his contributions to the field of statistical inference.
3. T. N. Srinivasan (born 1933), an Indian-American economist and professor at Yale University, known for his work in development economics and international trade.
4. M. S. Srinivasan (born 1945), an Indian engineer and former Director of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
5. M. G. Srinivasan (born 1950), an Indian businessman and the former Chairman of The Hindu Group of publications.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Srinivasan
Among Census respondents with the surname Srinivasan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Srinivasan 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 Srinivasan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.6% · 5,928
- White2.2% · 140
- Two or more races2.2% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Srinivasan
Srinivasan 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
#7,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,317
+1,956 bearers (+82.8%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 4,421 places
2020
#5,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,266
+1,949 bearers (+45.1%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Up 2,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,112 | 2,361 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,691 | 4,317 | 1.46 | +1,956 bearers (+82.8%) | Up 4,421 places |
| 2020 | #5,372 | 6,266 | 2.10 | +1,949 bearers (+45.1%) | Up 2,319 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 Srinivasan 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 | #7,691 | #5,372 | 30.2% |
| Count | 4,317 | 6,266 | 45.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 2.10 | 43.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Srinivasan bearers went from 4,317 to 6,266 (+45.1% change). The surname moved up 2,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,691 to #5,372.
FAQ
Srinivasan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Srinivasan?
Name Census estimates that about 7,185 living Americans carry the surname Srinivasan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,704 residents.
How common is Srinivasan?
Srinivasan ranks #5,372 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 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 6,266 people with the surname Srinivasan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 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 Srinivasan.
Has Srinivasan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Srinivasan went from 4,317 recorded bearers to 6,266. That is an increase of 1,949 (+45.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,691 to #5,372.
What does the Census say about the background of Srinivasan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Srinivasan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Srinivasan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (5,928 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Srinivasan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.6%), White (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Srinivasan (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 Srinivasan mean?
A South Indian surname meaning "descendant of Srinivasa," a name of the Hindu god Vishnu. 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 Srinivasan (2.10 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 Americans have the surname Srinivasan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.