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

Varkey, 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 Varkey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Varkey in America

Varkey is the 36788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Varkey surname appeared 607 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 Varkey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Varkey 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 Varkey

The surname VARKEY has its origins in the Indian state of Kerala. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'Var', meaning 'excellent', and 'Ke', a possessive suffix. Thus, the name VARKEY essentially means 'belonging to the excellent one'.

The name is thought to have emerged in the 9th or 10th century AD, during the height of the Chera dynasty in Kerala. It was likely adopted by members of the Nair community, who were considered the aristocratic warrior class of the region.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name VARKEY can be found in the Vattezhuthu inscriptions, which are ancient palm-leaf manuscripts detailing the land grants and privileges bestowed upon prominent families by the Chera rulers.

In the 14th century, a prominent Nair chieftain named Varkey Kuruppu is mentioned in the Keralolpathi, a historical text chronicling the events and dynasties of Kerala. His descendants are believed to have carried the surname VARKEY, which gradually spread across the state.

During the colonial era, the name VARKEY gained recognition beyond Kerala's borders. Thomas Varkey, born in 1737, was a prominent merchant and trader who established commercial ties between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Travancore.

In the 19th century, Reverend Varkey Tharakan (1818-1891) was a prominent figure in the Syrian Christian community of Kerala. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Mar Thoma Church and promoting education among the community.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir P.T. Varkey (1885-1965), a renowned lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court and later as a member of the Privy Council in London.

In the field of literature, K.C. Varkey (1917-2000) was a renowned Malayalam novelist and short story writer, known for his works exploring the social and cultural fabric of Kerala.

While the name VARKEY continues to be primarily associated with the state of Kerala, it has also gained a foothold in other parts of India and abroad, owing to the diaspora of the Malayali community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Varkey

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

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

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

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