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

Varughese, 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 Varughese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Varughese in America

Varughese is the 14571st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Varughese surname appeared 2,044 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Varughese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Varughese 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 Varughese

The surname Varughese is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the state of Kerala, which has a rich history dating back to ancient times. This name is derived from the combination of two Malayalam words, "Varu" meaning "to come" and "Ghese" meaning "priest" or "missionary."

It is widely accepted that the Varughese surname was adopted by families whose ancestors were Christian missionaries or priests who traveled to Kerala, bringing the teachings of Christianity to the region. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century when Portuguese and other European missionaries arrived in Kerala and established Christian communities.

One of the earliest known references to the Varughese name is found in the annals of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which has a significant presence in Kerala. These records mention several individuals with the Varughese surname who played important roles in the church's history and the spread of Christianity in the region.

Among the notable figures with the Varughese surname is Father Joseph Varughese (1622-1688), a prominent Syro-Malabar Catholic priest and scholar who made significant contributions to the preservation of the Syriac language and literature in Kerala. Another noteworthy individual is Thomas Varughese (1876-1952), a renowned educationist and social reformer who played a crucial role in the establishment of several educational institutions in the state.

The Varughese surname is also associated with certain place names in Kerala, such as Varughese Pally (Varughese Church) and Varughese Muri (Varughese Hill), which further solidifies its historical roots in the region.

Throughout history, several other individuals with the Varughese surname have left their mark in various fields. These include Fr. Kuriakose Elias Varughese (1830-1876), a prominent Syro-Malabar Catholic priest and scholar; Dr. Paul Varughese (1901-1987), a renowned medical practitioner and philanthropist; and K.C. Varughese (1904-1974), a distinguished writer and journalist who contributed significantly to the Malayalam literary landscape.

It is important to note that the Varughese surname is predominantly found among the Christian communities of Kerala, particularly within the Syro-Malabar Catholic and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Christian denominations, reflecting its strong ties to the region's rich cultural and religious heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Varughese

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!