2000
#22,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Suri
A surname of Indian origin meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,170 Americans carry the last name Suri. That puts it at #14,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,951 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suri 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 Suri with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,951
Census rank
#14,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,892 bearers of the surname Suri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and White (9.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suri
The surname Suri has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, tracing back to the Sanskrit language. It likely emerged as an occupational surname for those involved in weaving or textile production, as the word "suri" is derived from the Sanskrit term "sura," meaning thread or string.
In ancient India, the Suri name was prevalent among certain communities engaged in textile-related professions, such as weavers, tailors, and merchants dealing in fabrics. The earliest records of this surname can be found in historical texts and inscriptions from the medieval period, particularly in regions like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and parts of northern India.
One notable historical figure bearing the Suri surname was Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan ruler who established the Sur Empire in the 16th century. He was born in 1486 and ruled from 1540 to 1545, known for his administrative reforms and the construction of the Grand Trunk Road, a major trade route in the region.
Another prominent individual with the Suri name was Ismail Adil Shah Suri, a sultan of the Adil Shahi dynasty who ruled the Bijapur Sultanate in the 16th century, from 1511 to 1534. He was a patron of art and architecture, and during his reign, the city of Bijapur witnessed significant cultural and architectural developments.
In the realm of literature, Surdas, a 16th-century blind poet and saint, is renowned for his devotional compositions in the Braj Bhasha language. His works, including the famous Sursagar, a poetic rendition of the Hindu epic Bhagavata Purana, have had a lasting impact on the cultural heritage of India.
During the Mughal era, the Suri name gained prominence with individuals like Raja Man Singh Suri, a renowned military commander and administrator who served under the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Another notable figure was Munshi Suraj Mal Suri, a 19th-century scholar and writer from Punjab, known for his work "Tawarikh-e-Adab-e-Urdu," a comprehensive history of Urdu literature.
While the Suri surname has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language and the textile-related professions of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suri
Among Census respondents with the surname Suri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and White (9.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Suri 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 Suri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.2% · 1,404
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 200
- White9.4% · 178
- Two or more races4.5% · 86
- Black or African American1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suri
Suri 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
#18,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,531
+483 bearers (+46.1%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 4,644 places
2020
#14,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,892
+361 bearers (+23.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 3,179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,821 | 1,048 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,177 | 1,531 | 0.52 | +483 bearers (+46.1%) | Up 4,644 places |
| 2020 | #14,998 | 1,892 | 0.63 | +361 bearers (+23.6%) | Up 3,179 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 Suri 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 | #18,177 | #14,998 | 17.5% |
| Count | 1,531 | 1,892 | 23.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.63 | 21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suri bearers went from 1,531 to 1,892 (+23.6% change). The surname moved up 3,179 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,177 to #14,998.
FAQ
Suri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suri?
Name Census estimates that about 2,170 living Americans carry the surname Suri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,951 residents.
How common is Suri?
Suri ranks #14,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,892 people with the surname Suri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,170), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Suri.
Has Suri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suri went from 1,531 recorded bearers to 1,892. That is an increase of 361 (+23.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,177 to #14,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Suri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and White (9.4%). 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 Suri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (1,404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.2%), Hispanic (10.6%), White (9.4%). 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 Suri (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 Suri mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy." 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 Suri (0.63 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 are called Suri?
You can see how many people have the surname Suri on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.