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

Thyagarajan, 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 Thyagarajan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thyagarajan in America

Thyagarajan is the 96799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thyagarajan surname appeared 188 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 Thyagarajan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thyagarajan 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.

The history of the last name Thyagarajan

The surname Thyagarajan is a Tamil Hindu name that originated in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is derived from the combination of two words - 'Thyaga' meaning sacrifice, and 'Rajan' meaning king or lord. The name is believed to have emerged around the 6th century CE during the Pallava dynasty rule in Tamil Nadu.

Thyagarajan is a compound name that pays homage to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva, who is also known as Thyagaraja or the Lord of Sacrifice. The name was initially used by the Brahmin community in Tamil Nadu as a surname or a title bestowed upon individuals for their devotion and sacrifices to the divine.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thyagarajan can be found in the Thevaram hymns composed by the 7th-century Tamil saints, Appar and Sundarar. These hymns often refer to Lord Shiva as Thyagaraja, and it is believed that some of the devotees who composed these hymns may have adopted the name Thyagarajan as a title or a surname.

During the reign of the Chola dynasty in Tamil Nadu between the 9th and 13th centuries, several inscriptions and records mention individuals with the surname Thyagarajan, indicating its widespread use among the Brahmin community during this period. One notable example is the 11th-century scholar and philosopher, Thyagaraja Bhattacharya, who is credited with writing several treatises on Vedanta philosophy.

In the 16th century, Thyagaraja Swami, a prominent Vaishnavite saint and composer from Tamil Nadu, popularized the name Thyagarajan through his devotional works and compositions. His works are still widely revered and performed in traditional music concerts across South India.

Another prominent figure with the surname Thyagarajan was Muthuswami Thyagarajan, a 19th-century Tamil scholar and reformist who played a significant role in the revival of Tamil literature and culture. He was born in 1812 and is remembered for his contributions to the Tamil language and education.

In the 20th century, the name Thyagarajan gained further prominence with the birth of Thyagaraja Sarabhai, an Indian physicist and industrialist who made significant contributions to the development of nuclear energy in India. He was born in 1892 and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.

Despite its ancient origins, the surname Thyagarajan continues to be widely used among the Tamil Brahmin community in South India, and it is closely associated with the cultural and religious heritage of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thyagarajan

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

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 Thyagarajan 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Thyagarajan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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