2000
#25,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Uppal
A surname of Indian origin indicating a person from the village of Uppal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,984 Americans carry the last name Uppal. That puts it at #16,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 172,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uppal 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 Uppal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 172,759
Census rank
#16,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,730 bearers of the surname Uppal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uppal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uppal
The surname Uppal originated in the Indian subcontinent, more specifically in the Punjab region of modern-day India and Pakistan. The name is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'upala,' meaning stone or pebble. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals or families who lived near stony areas or worked with stones, perhaps as builders or masons.
In terms of historical records, the Uppal name can be traced back to the 16th century in various manuscripts and chronicles from the Mughal era. One notable example is the Ain-i-Akbari, a detailed account of the administration and governance during the reign of Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abul Fazl. This work mentions individuals with the surname Uppal holding positions of significance within the Mughal court.
The earliest recorded individual bearing the Uppal surname was Malik Uppal, a prominent landowner and chieftain who lived in the 15th century in the present-day Sialkot region of Punjab, Pakistan. Another early example is Rai Uppal, a renowned poet and scholar who flourished during the reign of Emperor Akbar in the 16th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Uppal surname. One such figure was Diwan Uppal, a influential minister and advisor to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. Another was Raja Uppal Singh, a valiant warrior and military commander who served under the Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century during the Sikh Empire.
In the field of literature, Mohinder Singh Uppal (1920-2009) was a celebrated Punjabi writer and poet, known for his contributions to the development of Punjabi language and literature. He received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983.
The Uppal surname has also been associated with places in the Punjab region. For instance, Uppal Kalan and Uppal Khurd are villages located in the Jalandhar district of Punjab, India, while Uppal Chak is a town in the Sialkot district of Punjab, Pakistan.
Throughout the centuries, the Uppal name has undergone various spellings and variations, such as Uppul, Uppall, and Uppala, reflecting the diverse linguistic influences and regional dialects of the Indian subcontinent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uppal
Among Census respondents with the surname Uppal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Uppal 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 Uppal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.3% · 1,596
- White3.1% · 53
- Two or more races3.0% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uppal
Uppal 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
#20,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,305
+415 bearers (+46.6%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 5,562 places
2020
#16,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,730
+425 bearers (+32.6%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 4,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,926 | 890 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,364 | 1,305 | 0.44 | +415 bearers (+46.6%) | Up 5,562 places |
| 2020 | #16,190 | 1,730 | 0.58 | +425 bearers (+32.6%) | Up 4,174 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 Uppal 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 | #20,364 | #16,190 | 20.5% |
| Count | 1,305 | 1,730 | 32.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.58 | 31.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uppal bearers went from 1,305 to 1,730 (+32.6% change). The surname moved up 4,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,364 to #16,190.
FAQ
Uppal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uppal?
Name Census estimates that about 1,984 living Americans carry the surname Uppal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 172,759 residents.
How common is Uppal?
Uppal ranks #16,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,730 people with the surname Uppal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Uppal.
Has Uppal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uppal went from 1,305 recorded bearers to 1,730. That is an increase of 425 (+32.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,364 to #16,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Uppal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uppal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Uppal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uppal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.3%), White (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Uppal (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 Uppal mean?
A surname of Indian origin indicating a person from the village of Uppal. 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 Uppal (0.58 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 share the surname Uppal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.