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

Thangavelu, 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 Thangavelu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thangavelu in America

Thangavelu is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thangavelu surname appeared 144 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 Thangavelu.

The history of the last name Thangavelu

The surname Thangavelu originates from Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, between the 6th and 13th centuries CE. Thangavelu is derived from the Tamil words "thanga" meaning gold, and "velu" meaning lance or spear, suggesting a connection to warriors or military figures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thangavelu can be found in the Kongu Nadu region of Tamil Nadu, where it was mentioned in inscriptions from the 12th century. These inscriptions were often found on temple walls and copper plates, documenting land grants and administrative records of the time.

During the Vijayanagar Empire, which ruled large parts of southern India from the 14th to 17th centuries, several individuals with the surname Thangavelu held prominent roles. One notable figure was Thangavelu Mudaliar, a military commander who served under the Vijayanagar ruler Krishnadevaraya in the early 16th century.

In the 18th century, a prominent Thangavelu was Kavali Venkata Thangavelu, a poet and scholar who contributed to the literary tradition of Telugu literature. He was born in 1730 and is renowned for his work "Subrahmanya Satakamu," a collection of devotional poems dedicated to Lord Murugan.

Another historical figure with the surname Thangavelu was Thangavelu Pillai, a merchant and philanthropist from the city of Chennai (formerly Madras). He lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and was known for his charitable contributions, including the establishment of educational institutions and temples.

In the 20th century, M. Thangavelu was a prominent Tamil scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Tamil language and literature. He was born in 1912 and authored several books on Tamil grammar, literature, and culture.

Thangavelu was also the surname of S. Thangavelu, an Indian freedom fighter and politician who played an active role in the Indian independence movement. He was born in 1891 and served as a member of the Indian National Congress, advocating for the rights of the Tamil-speaking population.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thangavelu

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

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 Thangavelu 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.

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

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

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