Subramaniam last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Subramaniam

A Tamil surname derived from the name of the Hindu god Brahma.

Subramaniam, 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 Subramaniam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Subramaniam in America

Subramaniam is the 22375th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Subramaniam surname appeared 1,151 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 Subramaniam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Subramaniam 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 22375 36716 -48.54%
Count 1,151 574 66.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.39 0.21 60.00%

The history of the last name Subramaniam

The surname Subramaniam is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil-speaking regions of southern India. It can be traced back several centuries to the medieval period.

Subramaniam is a compound name derived from the Sanskrit words "subra" meaning "illustrious" or "excellent," and "mani" meaning "jewel" or "gem." The name is closely associated with the Hindu deity Lord Murugan, also known as Subramaniam or Kartikeya, the god of war and victory.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Subramaniam appears in ancient Tamil literary works, such as the Sangam literature, which dates back to the first few centuries CE. These works often mention individuals with the name, indicating its long-standing presence in the region.

The name Subramaniam has been carried by several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Subramaniam Bharathi (1882-1921), a renowned Tamil writer, poet, and independence activist who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement against British rule.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir C.P. Subramaniam (1910-2000), an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Union Minister of Food and Agriculture and played a significant role in the Green Revolution in India.

In the field of science, Dr. Subramaniam Chandrasekhar (1910-1995) was an Indian-American astrophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his work on the theoretical structure and evolution of stars.

The name Subramaniam has also been associated with notable figures in the arts and literature. V.K. Subramaniam (1908-1987) was a renowned Indian artist and painter who was widely recognized for his contributions to the Madras Movement in modern Indian art.

Another bearer of the name was Subramaniam, also known as Subbiah Naidu (1932-2001), a famous Indian violinist and composer who was instrumental in popularizing Carnatic music globally.

While the surname Subramaniam has its roots in southern India, it has since spread to other parts of the country and the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and cultural significance remain deeply rooted in the Tamil and Hindu traditions of the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Subramaniam

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

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 Subramaniam was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.35% 27
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 94.53% 1,088
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.17% 25
Hispanic Origin 0.78% 9

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 Subramaniam has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.35% 2.26% 3.90%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 94.53% 92.51% 2.16%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.17% 4.01% -59.55%
Hispanic 0.78% 1.05% -29.51%

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

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

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"Subramaniam last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/subramaniam-surname-popularity/.

"Subramaniam last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/subramaniam-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 December, 2024

Subramaniam last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/subramaniam-surname-popularity/.

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