2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thanawala
A surname originating from a caste that traditionally worked with bamboo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Thanawala. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thanawala 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Thanawala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thanawala, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and White (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thanawala
The surname "THANAWALA" is believed to have originated in India during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "thana," which means "place" or "locality," combined with the suffix "-wala," which is used to indicate a person's occupation or origin. Thus, the name "THANAWALA" likely referred to someone who was from a particular place or locality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "THANAWALA" can be found in the chronicles of the Maratha Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent during the 17th and 18th centuries. These chronicles mention a prominent military commander named Malhar Rao Thanawala, who served under the Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj in the late 17th century.
Another notable figure with the surname "THANAWALA" was Keshav Rao Thanawala, a prominent merchant and trader who lived in the city of Surat during the 18th century. Surat was a major trading port during this time, and Keshav Rao Thanawala was known for his extensive trading networks spanning across the Indian Ocean region.
In the 19th century, the surname "THANAWALA" can be found in various historical records and documents from the British Raj period. For instance, the Indian Civil Service records from the 1850s mention a civil servant named Gopal Rao Thanawala, who served in the administration of the Bombay Presidency.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname "THANAWALA" was Narayanrao Thanawala, a prominent social reformer and educator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Narayanrao Thanawala was a strong advocate for women's education and played a pivotal role in establishing several schools and educational institutions in the state of Maharashtra.
Another notable figure with the surname "THANAWALA" was Baburao Thanawala, a renowned poet and writer who lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Baburao Thanawala's literary works, which were written in the Marathi language, explored themes of social justice, traditional values, and the changing landscape of Indian society during the British colonial period.
While the surname "THANAWALA" has its roots in India, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the medieval and early modern periods in India, where it was likely associated with specific localities or places of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thanawala
Among Census respondents with the surname Thanawala, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and White (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Thanawala 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 Thanawala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- White3.5% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thanawala
Thanawala 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 9,549 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 Thanawala 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 | #156,044 | #146,495 | 6.1% |
| Count | 104 | 114 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thanawala bearers went from 104 to 114 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 9,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #146,495.
FAQ
Thanawala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thanawala?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Thanawala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Thanawala?
Thanawala ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Thanawala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Thanawala.
Has Thanawala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thanawala went from 104 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 10 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Thanawala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thanawala, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and White (3.5%). 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 Thanawala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thanawala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.5%), Hispanic (4.4%), White (3.5%). 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 Thanawala (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 Thanawala mean?
A surname originating from a caste that traditionally worked with bamboo. 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 Thanawala (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 are called Thanawala?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Thanawala on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.