2000
#71,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Rare Last name
Vemuri
A locational surname indicating ancestry from the Vemuru village in India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,185 Americans carry the last name Vemuri. That puts it at #25,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 289,244 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vemuri 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.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 289,244
Census rank
#25,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,033 bearers of the surname Vemuri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vemuri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vemuri
The surname VEMURI is of Indian origin, specifically from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century CE. The name is derived from the Telugu language, which is the predominant language spoken in Andhra Pradesh.
One of the earliest known references to the name VEMURI can be found in ancient Sanskrit texts and inscriptions from the region. These texts mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Vemuri, Vemulapati, and Vemulawada, suggesting that the name was associated with certain villages or settlements in the region.
The name VEMURI is thought to be derived from the Telugu word "Vemula," which means "a group of villages" or "a cluster of settlements." It is possible that the name originally referred to families or individuals who hailed from a particular group of villages or a specific area within Andhra Pradesh.
In the 16th century, historical records mention a prominent scholar and poet named Peddana Vemuri, who was patronized by the ruling Vijayanagar Empire. Peddana Vemuri is credited with contributing significantly to the development of Telugu literature and is considered one of the greatest poets in the Telugu language.
Another notable figure with the surname VEMURI was Kasinadhuni Viswanatha Vemuri, who lived in the 18th century. He was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and authored several works on Hindu philosophy and scriptures. His birth and death years are not precisely known, but he is believed to have lived during the latter half of the 18th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Gidugu Venkata Ramamurti Vemuri gained recognition as a social reformer and advocate for education in Andhra Pradesh. He played a crucial role in establishing several educational institutions in the region and worked towards promoting literacy and social progress.
During the Indian independence movement of the early 20th century, Raghupathi Venkataratnam Vemuri, born in 1887, was a prominent freedom fighter and activist. He participated in various civil disobedience campaigns and was imprisoned multiple times for his involvement in the struggle against British rule.
Another notable individual with the surname VEMURI was Kandukuri Veeresalingam Vemuri, a social reformer and writer who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1848 and is credited with pioneering the Telugu literary renaissance through his writings and advocacy for social and educational reforms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vemuri
Among Census respondents with the surname Vemuri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vemuri 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 Vemuri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.4% · 975
- White3.4% · 35
- Two or more races1.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vemuri
Vemuri 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
#37,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 596
+341 bearers (+133.7%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 33,981 places
2020
#25,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,033
+437 bearers (+73.3%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 12,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #71,372 | 255 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,391 | 596 | 0.20 | +341 bearers (+133.7%) | Up 33,981 places |
| 2020 | #25,124 | 1,033 | 0.35 | +437 bearers (+73.3%) | Up 12,267 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 Vemuri 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 | #37,391 | #25,124 | 32.8% |
| Count | 596 | 1,033 | 73.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.35 | 72.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vemuri bearers went from 596 to 1,033 (+73.3% change). The surname moved up 12,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,391 to #25,124.
FAQ
Vemuri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vemuri?
Name Census estimates that about 1,185 living Americans carry the surname Vemuri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 289,244 residents.
How common is Vemuri?
Vemuri ranks #25,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,033 people with the surname Vemuri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Vemuri.
Has Vemuri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vemuri went from 596 recorded bearers to 1,033. That is an increase of 437 (+73.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #37,391 to #25,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Vemuri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vemuri, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Vemuri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (975 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vemuri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.4%), White (3.4%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Vemuri (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 Vemuri mean?
A locational surname indicating ancestry from the Vemuru village in India. 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 Vemuri (0.35 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 have the surname Vemuri?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.