2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Virji
A surname for members of an Indian trading community who migrated from Sindh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Virji. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Virji 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 Virji with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Virji in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Virji, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and White (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Virji
The surname VIRJI originated in India, specifically in the western state of Gujarat. Its earliest known roots can be traced back to the 12th century CE. The name is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "virya," which means strength or vigor.
VIRJI is a variation of the more common Gujarati surname Virji, which was initially used by members of the Lohana community, a trading and mercantile caste. The Lohanas were known for their entrepreneurial spirit and played a significant role in the textile trade between Gujarat and other parts of India, as well as with regions in the Middle East.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the VIRJI surname can be found in the Nāvnāthī Granth, a 14th-century Gujarati literary work that chronicles the lives of the Nāth yogis. The text references a certain "Virji Sadhu," who is believed to have been a prominent figure in the Nāth tradition during that period.
In the 16th century, the VIRJI name appeared in the records of the Mughal Empire, which ruled over a vast territory in the Indian subcontinent. During this time, a wealthy merchant named Virji Vora was renowned for his successful trading ventures and philanthropic endeavors.
As the Lohana community expanded its reach across India and beyond, the VIRJI surname traveled with them. In the 18th century, a notable figure named Virji Vaidya gained fame as a skilled Ayurvedic physician in the court of the Maratha ruler, Shivaji.
Another prominent individual bearing the VIRJI surname was Virji Keshavji, a 19th-century businessman and philanthropist from Gujarat. He established several educational institutions and played a crucial role in the social and economic development of his community.
In more recent times, the name VIRJI has been associated with individuals from various fields, such as Virji Vora, a celebrated Indian classical singer who was born in 1938, and Virji Vashi, a prominent Gujarati writer and poet who lived from 1922 to 2003.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Virji
Among Census respondents with the surname Virji, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and White (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Virji 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 Virji surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.7% · 88
- Two or more races9.2% · 10
- White4.6% · 5
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Virji
Virji appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 247 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 Virji 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 | #150,452 | #150,205 | 0.2% |
| Count | 109 | 109 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Virji bearers went from 109 to 109 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,205.
FAQ
Virji surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Virji?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Virji. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Virji?
Virji ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Virji. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Virji.
Has Virji become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Virji went from 109 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Virji?
Among Census respondents with the surname Virji, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and White (4.6%). 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 Virji in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Virji appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.7%), Two or More Races (9.2%), White (4.6%). 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 Virji (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 Virji mean?
A surname for members of an Indian trading community who migrated from Sindh. 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 Virji (0.04 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 share the surname Virji?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.