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

Varghese, 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 Varghese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Varghese in America

Varghese is the 5010th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Varghese surname appeared 7,013 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Varghese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Varghese 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 Varghese

The surname Varghese is of Indian origin, specifically from the state of Kerala in southern India. It dates back to the 8th century AD, when Christianity was introduced to the region by Syrian Christian missionaries.

The name Varghese is derived from the Syrian Christian name Vargheese, which is the Malayali language version of the biblical name Varghese or Vargis. This, in turn, is believed to have its roots in the Aramaic name Vargiz or the Greek name Basilios, meaning "royal" or "kingly".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Varghese can be found in the 9th century copper plate inscriptions of the Kodungallur era, which document the privileges granted to Syrian Christian settlers in Kerala by the local Hindu rulers.

In the 16th century, historical records mention a Syrian Christian merchant named Varghese Mappillai, who was a prominent figure in the spice trade between Kerala and Europe. He is believed to have facilitated the establishment of the first Portuguese settlement in Calicut, now known as Kozhikode.

Another notable bearer of the name was Varghese Mappillai Achen, a 17th-century Syrian Christian priest and scholar who authored several religious texts and played a crucial role in preserving the heritage and traditions of the Syrian Christian community in Kerala.

In the 19th century, Varghese Kurien, born in 1921, was a social entrepreneur and the founder of the successful dairy cooperative Amul. He is widely credited with ushering in the "White Revolution" in India, which transformed the country's dairy industry.

Varghese Mappillai Kurien, born in 1930, was a prominent Malayalam language writer and literary critic. He was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1988 for his contributions to Indian literature.

Varghese Pakkalakath, born in 1945, is a renowned Indian painter and sculptor. His works, which blend traditional Indian aesthetics with modern techniques, have been exhibited in galleries across the world and are part of several prestigious collections.

While the surname Varghese has its origins in the Syrian Christian community of Kerala, it has since been adopted by people from various religious and ethnic backgrounds across India, particularly in the southern states.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Varghese

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

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

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

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