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

Vittal, 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 Vittal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vittal in America

Vittal is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vittal surname appeared 186 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 Vittal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vittal 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 Vittal

The surname VITTAL is of Indian origin, specifically from the southern state of Karnataka. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Vittala', which refers to a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century during the reign of the Hoysala Empire, which ruled over parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VITTAL can be found in inscriptions and stone carvings from the Hoysala period, where it was often used to identify individuals associated with the worship of Lord Vittala. The name gained prominence in the region around the city of Hampi, which was the capital of the Vijayanagar Empire from the 14th to the 16th century.

During the Vijayanagar Empire, the surname VITTAL was closely associated with the Vitthaleshwara Temple in Hampi, which was dedicated to Lord Vittala. Many priests, scholars, and devotees who served at this temple or were associated with the worship of Lord Vittala took on the surname VITTAL.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname VITTAL was Vidyaranya Swami (1268-1386), a renowned Hindu philosopher and spiritual leader who played a key role in the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire. He is credited with coronating the first ruler of the empire, Harihara I, and is believed to have been instrumental in the construction of the Vitthaleshwara Temple in Hampi.

Another notable figure with the surname VITTAL was Purandaradasa (1484-1564), a celebrated Haridasa (devotional singer) and poet who composed numerous devotional songs in praise of Lord Vittala. His works, known as Purandara Vittala Kirtanas, are still widely popular in Karnataka and have had a significant influence on Carnatic music.

In the 17th century, Venkatappa Vittal (1635-1692) was a prominent scholar and administrator who served as the chief minister (Peshwa) of the Maratha Empire under the rule of Shivaji. He played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Maratha Empire and is credited with establishing a efficient administrative system.

During the 18th century, Gopalakrishna Vittal (1712-1783) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Karnataka. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and astronomy, and his works on planetary motion and eclipse calculations were widely recognized.

In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the surname VITTAL was K. Vittal Rao (1892-1963), an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu) from 1949 to 1952.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vittal

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

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

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

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