2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Subedar
A Hindustani surname indicating a former military rank in colonial India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Subedar. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Subedar 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.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Subedar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Subedar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Subedar
The surname Subedar has its origins in the Indian subcontinent and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Urdu and Persian word "Subadar," which referred to a military rank equivalent to a captain or lieutenant in the armies of the Mughal Empire.
In the early days of the British East India Company's presence in India, the term "Subedar" was adopted to denote a non-commissioned officer rank in the company's sepoy regiments. As the British East India Company expanded its territorial control, the Subedar rank became integral to the colonial military structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Subedar can be found in the chronicles of the Maratha Empire, where a soldier named Subedar Malhar Rao Holkar (1693-1766) served as the commander of the Maratha forces and played a pivotal role in several battles against the Mughals and the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Subedar was Subedar Khuda Dad Khan (1770-1840), a military leader from the North-West Frontier Province (now part of Pakistan), who fought alongside the Sikh Empire against the Afghan forces and was known for his bravery and strategic acumen.
In the 19th century, Subedar Sita Ram Pandey (1823-1887) gained recognition for his role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. He was one of the leaders of the rebel forces and fought against the British East India Company's troops until his capture and subsequent imprisonment.
During the First World War, Subedar Khudadad Khan (1888-1971) from the North-West Frontier Province distinguished himself as a gallant soldier and was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valor, for his actions in the Battle of Hollebeke in 1915.
Another notable figure with the surname Subedar was Subedar Joginder Singh (1917-1942), a soldier from the British Indian Army who fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his exceptional bravery and leadership in the face of overwhelming Japanese forces.
While the surname Subedar has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical significance remains deeply intertwined with the military history of the region and the colonial era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Subedar
Among Census respondents with the surname Subedar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Subedar 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 Subedar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.2% · 94
- Two or more races9.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Subedar
Subedar 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 10,770 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 Subedar 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 | #160,975 | #150,205 | 6.7% |
| Count | 100 | 109 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Subedar bearers went from 100 to 109 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 10,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,205.
FAQ
Subedar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Subedar?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Subedar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Subedar?
Subedar ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Subedar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Subedar.
Has Subedar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Subedar went from 100 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 9 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Subedar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Subedar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Subedar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Subedar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.2%), Two or More Races (9.2%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Subedar (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 Subedar mean?
A Hindustani surname indicating a former military rank in colonial India. 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 Subedar (0.04 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 Subedar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.