2000
#13,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Vyas
A surname of Indian origin, indicating a learned person, teacher, or scholar, especially one well-versed in the Vedas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,352 Americans carry the last name Vyas. That puts it at #6,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vyas 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 Vyas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 64,042
Census rank
#6,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,667 bearers of the surname Vyas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vyas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vyas
The surname VYAS originated from India, with its roots dating back to ancient Sanskrit texts from around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Vyasa," meaning "compiler" or "arranger," referring to the legendary Hindu sage who is credited with compiling the sacred Hindu scriptures, the Vedas.
The VYAS surname is predominantly found among the Brahmin community, which is the highest caste in the Hindu social hierarchy. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families belonging to the Brahmin caste who claimed descent from the great sage Vyasa or were involved in the study and transmission of the Vedas.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name VYAS can be found in the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic that dates back to around the 4th century BCE. In this text, Vyasa is described as the author and compiler of the Mahabharata itself, as well as the eighteen Puranas (ancient Hindu texts).
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname VYAS. One of the most famous was Vatsyayana Mallanaga Vatsyayana (circa 3rd-5th century CE), the celebrated author of the Kama Sutra, a treatise on human sexual behavior and relationships.
Another significant figure was Rishi Valmiki (circa 5th century BCE), the author of the Hindu epic Ramayana. According to tradition, Valmiki was a contemporary of Vyasa and is believed to have been a disciple of the sage.
In the 9th century CE, Vasugupta (860-925 CE), also known as Vasugupta Vyas, was a renowned Hindu philosopher and mystic who contributed significantly to the development of the Kashmir Shaivism tradition.
During the medieval period, Madhvacharya (1238-1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajña or Vadiraja Tirtha, was a prominent Hindu philosopher and the founder of the Dvaita Vedanta school of philosophy. He was also referred to as Vyasa Tirtha due to his profound knowledge of the Vedas.
In more recent times, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), the famous Hindu monk and spiritual leader, was born as Narendranath Datta into a family with the surname VYAS, although he later adopted the monastic name Vivekananda.
The surname VYAS has been associated with various place names throughout India, particularly in regions where the Brahmin community has had a strong presence, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. However, it is important to note that the surname's origins predate the formation of many modern-day place names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vyas
Among Census respondents with the surname Vyas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vyas 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 Vyas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.7% · 4,373
- White2.7% · 125
- Two or more races2.5% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vyas
Vyas 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
#9,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,259
+1,201 bearers (+58.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 3,628 places
2020
#6,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,667
+1,408 bearers (+43.2%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 2,977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,540 | 2,058 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,912 | 3,259 | 1.10 | +1,201 bearers (+58.4%) | Up 3,628 places |
| 2020 | #6,935 | 4,667 | 1.56 | +1,408 bearers (+43.2%) | Up 2,977 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 Vyas 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 | #9,912 | #6,935 | 30.0% |
| Count | 3,259 | 4,667 | 43.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.56 | 41.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vyas bearers went from 3,259 to 4,667 (+43.2% change). The surname moved up 2,977 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,912 to #6,935.
FAQ
Vyas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vyas?
Name Census estimates that about 5,352 living Americans carry the surname Vyas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,042 residents.
How common is Vyas?
Vyas ranks #6,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,667 people with the surname Vyas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vyas.
Has Vyas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vyas went from 3,259 recorded bearers to 4,667. That is an increase of 1,408 (+43.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,912 to #6,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Vyas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vyas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Vyas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (4,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vyas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.7%), White (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Vyas (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 Vyas mean?
A surname of Indian origin, indicating a learned person, teacher, or scholar, especially one well-versed in the Vedas. 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 Vyas (1.56 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 Vyas?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Vyas, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.