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

Subbiah, 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 Subbiah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Subbiah in America

Subbiah is the 66553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Subbiah surname appeared 297 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Subbiah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Subbiah 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 Subbiah

The surname SUBBIAH has its origins in South India, specifically in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is derived from the Tamil word "Subbiah," which means "Lord Shiva" or "Auspicious One." This name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 10th to 12th century CE.

The name SUBBIAH was initially prevalent among the Brahmin and other upper-caste communities in Tamil Nadu. It was often used as a personal name or a title before it became a hereditary surname. The earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in ancient Tamil literature, such as the Tevaram and Tirumurai, which are collections of devotional poems composed by the Nayanars and Alwars.

One of the earliest known historical figures with the surname SUBBIAH was Subbiah Mudhaliar, a prominent Tamil scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century. He authored several works, including the renowned "Nannul Virutti," a commentary on the ancient Tamil grammar text, "Nannul."

In the 17th century, the SUBBIAH surname gained prominence with the rise of the Madurai Nayak dynasty, a powerful feudatory of the Vijayanagar Empire. Numerous inscriptions and records from this period mention individuals with the SUBBIAH surname, indicating their influential positions in the court and administration.

Another notable figure with this surname was Subbiah Pillai, a renowned Tamil scholar and author who lived in the 18th century. He wrote several works on Tamil grammar, literature, and philosophy, including the "Nannul Virutti Urai," a commentary on the "Nannul Virutti" by Subbiah Mudhaliar.

In the 19th century, Subbiah Bharathi, a prominent Tamil poet and social reformer, gained national recognition for his literary contributions and advocacy for women's rights and education. His works, such as "Panchali Sapatham" and "Kurinji Pattu," are considered literary masterpieces in Tamil literature.

Subbiah Naidu, a freedom fighter and politician from Tamil Nadu, played a significant role in India's independence movement. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and served as the president of the Indian National Congress in 1929.

The SUBBIAH surname has also been associated with several place names in Tamil Nadu, such as Subbiah Nagar, Subbiah Puram, and Subbiah Kulam, which are likely derived from individuals or families bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Subbiah

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!