2000
#47,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 418
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Rare Last name
Vasudevan
A Sanskrit surname meaning "descendant of Vasudeva" or "Lord Krishna's lineage".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,346 Americans carry the last name Vasudevan. That puts it at #22,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 254,647 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vasudevan 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 Vasudevan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 254,647
Census rank
#22,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,174 bearers of the surname Vasudevan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vasudevan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vasudevan
The surname VASUDEVAN is of Indian origin and can be traced back to the Sanskrit language. It is a combination of two words, 'Vasu' meaning wealth or treasure, and 'deva' meaning god or deity. The name is believed to have originated in the southern states of India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where it was common among Brahmin communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where it was mentioned as a name of Lord Krishna, who was also known as Vasudeva. The name gained popularity due to its association with the divine and was widely adopted by families, particularly those with a priestly or scholarly background.
In the medieval period, there are records of individuals bearing the surname VASUDEVAN in various historical documents and inscriptions. Some notable examples include Sri Vasudevan Bhattathiri, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from Kerala who lived in the 16th century, and Vasudevan Nambudiri, a prominent Vedic scholar from the 17th century.
During the British colonial era in India, the surname VASUDEVAN was also recorded in official records and documents. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Vasudevan Pillai, a Tamil scholar and writer from the 18th century, who authored several works on grammar and literature.
In the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Vasudevan Bhattar, a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Kerala, who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Another notable figure with the surname VASUDEVAN was Dr. K. Vasudevan, a renowned physician and social reformer from Tamil Nadu, who lived in the early 20th century and played a pivotal role in promoting modern medicine and healthcare in rural areas.
The surname VASUDEVAN has also been associated with various places and localities across southern India, such as Vasudevanallur, a village in Tamil Nadu, and Vasudevan Nagar, a residential area in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vasudevan
Among Census respondents with the surname Vasudevan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vasudevan 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 Vasudevan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.1% · 1,117
- White2.5% · 29
- Two or more races1.3% · 15
- Black or African American0.6% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vasudevan
Vasudevan 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
#29,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 793
+375 bearers (+89.7%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 17,961 places
2020
#22,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,174
+381 bearers (+48.0%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 7,224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,654 | 418 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,693 | 793 | 0.27 | +375 bearers (+89.7%) | Up 17,961 places |
| 2020 | #22,469 | 1,174 | 0.39 | +381 bearers (+48.0%) | Up 7,224 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 Vasudevan 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 | #29,693 | #22,469 | 24.3% |
| Count | 793 | 1,174 | 48.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.39 | 45.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vasudevan bearers went from 793 to 1,174 (+48.0% change). The surname moved up 7,224 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,693 to #22,469.
FAQ
Vasudevan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vasudevan?
Name Census estimates that about 1,346 living Americans carry the surname Vasudevan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 254,647 residents.
How common is Vasudevan?
Vasudevan ranks #22,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,174 people with the surname Vasudevan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vasudevan.
Has Vasudevan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vasudevan went from 793 recorded bearers to 1,174. That is an increase of 381 (+48.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #29,693 to #22,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Vasudevan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vasudevan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Vasudevan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (1,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vasudevan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.1%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Vasudevan (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 Vasudevan mean?
A Sanskrit surname meaning "descendant of Vasudeva" or "Lord Krishna's lineage". 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 Vasudevan (0.39 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 common is the surname Vasudevan?
See how common the surname Vasudevan is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.