2000
#25,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Tiwari
A surname of Indian origin, indicating the Kshatriya caste, derived from the Sanskrit word "tivara" meaning "learned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,528 Americans carry the last name Tiwari. That puts it at #6,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,003 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tiwari 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 Tiwari with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,003
Census rank
#6,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,821 bearers of the surname Tiwari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiwari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tiwari
The surname Tiwari is of Indian origin, specifically from the northern regions of the subcontinent. The name is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
Tiwari is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Trivedi,' which refers to someone who has mastered the three Vedas or ancient Hindu scriptures. The name was initially used to denote scholars, priests, or individuals proficient in the study of the Vedas.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Tiwari can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the Rigveda, one of the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, where the name appears as a reference to a renowned scholar or sage.
In the 14th century, the name Tiwari was associated with the town of Tiwari Gali in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh, India. This location was known for its centers of learning and was home to many Tiwari scholars and priests.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Tiwari was Pandit Bharatendu Harishchandra Tiwari, a renowned Hindi author, and playwright who lived from 1850 to 1885. He played a significant role in the revival of the Hindi language and literature during the 19th century.
Another prominent Tiwari was Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of independent India, who served from 1964 to 1966. He was instrumental in leading the country during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and is remembered for his slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" (Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer).
In the field of science, Dr. Hargobind Khorana, a biochemist of Indian descent, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for his work on the interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis. He was born in 1922 and passed away in 2011.
Kapil Dev Tiwari, a former Indian cricketer and one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the sport, captained the Indian national team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He was born in 1959 and played international cricket from 1978 to 1994.
Lastly, Arun Tiwari, a noted Indian classical musician and composer, is known for his contributions to the Hindustani classical music tradition. He was born in 1944 and has received several prestigious awards for his work, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tiwari
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiwari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tiwari 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 Tiwari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.9% · 4,383
- White3.6% · 174
- Black or African American2.2% · 107
- Two or more races1.9% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tiwari
Tiwari 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
#13,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,255
+1,356 bearers (+150.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 12,255 places
2020
#6,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,821
+2,566 bearers (+113.8%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 6,756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,735 | 899 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,480 | 2,255 | 0.76 | +1,356 bearers (+150.8%) | Up 12,255 places |
| 2020 | #6,724 | 4,821 | 1.61 | +2,566 bearers (+113.8%) | Up 6,756 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 Tiwari 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 | #13,480 | #6,724 | 50.1% |
| Count | 2,255 | 4,821 | 113.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 1.61 | 112.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tiwari bearers went from 2,255 to 4,821 (+113.8% change). The surname moved up 6,756 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,480 to #6,724.
FAQ
Tiwari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tiwari?
Name Census estimates that about 5,528 living Americans carry the surname Tiwari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,003 residents.
How common is Tiwari?
Tiwari ranks #6,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,821 people with the surname Tiwari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tiwari.
Has Tiwari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tiwari went from 2,255 recorded bearers to 4,821. That is an increase of 2,566 (+113.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,480 to #6,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Tiwari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tiwari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Tiwari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (4,383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tiwari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.9%), White (3.6%), Black (2.2%). 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 Tiwari (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 Tiwari mean?
A surname of Indian origin, indicating the Kshatriya caste, derived from the Sanskrit word "tivara" meaning "learned." 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 Tiwari (1.61 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 Americans have the surname Tiwari?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.