2010
#37,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 599
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Subba
A surname indicating a person of high rank or an officer of royalty in certain South Asian cultures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,062 Americans carry the last name Subba. That puts it at #8,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Subba 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 Subba with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,381
Census rank
#8,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,542 bearers of the surname Subba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Subba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%) and White (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Subba
The surname "SUBBA" originates from Nepal and parts of Northeast India. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "Subha" or "Subarna," meaning "golden" or "auspicious." The name gained prominence during the medieval period in the Himalayan region.
The earliest recorded instances of the Subba surname can be traced back to the 14th century, when it was used by members of the Kirat community, an indigenous ethnic group in Nepal and the neighboring Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal. The Subba surname was particularly prevalent among the ruling class and aristocracy of the Kirat people.
In the 16th century, the Subba surname appears in several historical manuscripts and records from the region, including the Ain-i-Akbari, a detailed document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great. The Ain-i-Akbari mentions the Subba community as a prominent group in the eastern Himalayan regions.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Subba surname was Sher Bahadur Subba, a Nepali military leader who played a significant role in the unification of Nepal during the late 18th century. He served as a commander under the legendary King Prithvi Narayan Shah.
Another notable figure was Chandra Kanta Subba, a Nepali writer and poet who lived from 1899 to 1978. He is renowned for his contributions to Nepali literature and his efforts in promoting the use of the Nepali language in education and administration.
In the 20th century, Iman Singh Subba (1923-2003) gained recognition as a influential political leader and activist in Sikkim. He played a pivotal role in the state's merger with India and served as the first Chief Minister of Sikkim after it became a state of the Indian Union.
The Subba surname has also been associated with various place names in the region, such as Subba Gaon (meaning "Subba Village") in West Bengal, India, and Subba Khola (meaning "Subba River") in eastern Nepal.
While the Subba surname is most commonly found in Nepal, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, particularly in countries like India, Bhutan, and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Subba
Among Census respondents with the surname Subba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%) and White (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Subba 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 Subba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.2% · 3,477
- Two or more races1.0% · 36
- White0.3% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Subba
Subba appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#8,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,542
+2,943 bearers (+491.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 28,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #37,229 | 599 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #8,875 | 3,542 | 1.19 | +2,943 bearers (+491.3%) | Up 28,354 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 Subba 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 | #37,229 | #8,875 | 76.2% |
| Count | 599 | 3,542 | 491.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 1.19 | 492.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Subba bearers went from 599 to 3,542 (+491.3% change). The surname moved up 28,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,229 to #8,875.
FAQ
Subba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Subba?
Name Census estimates that about 4,062 living Americans carry the surname Subba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,381 residents.
How common is Subba?
Subba ranks #8,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,542 people with the surname Subba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Subba.
Has Subba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Subba went from 599 recorded bearers to 3,542. That is an increase of 2,943 (+491.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #37,229 to #8,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Subba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Subba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%) and White (0.3%). 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 Subba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (3,477 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Subba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (98.2%), Two or More Races (1.0%), White (0.3%). 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 Subba (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 Subba mean?
A surname indicating a person of high rank or an officer of royalty in certain South Asian cultures. 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 Subba (1.19 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 last name Subba?
Find out how many people have the last name Subba on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.