2000
#14,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Anand
A surname of Indian origin meaning "happiness," "bliss," or "contentment."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,064 Americans carry the last name Anand. That puts it at #5,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,521 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anand 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 Anand with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,521
Census rank
#5,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,160 bearers of the surname Anand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anand, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anand
The surname ANAND originates from India and can be traced back to the Sanskrit language. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "ananda," which means bliss, joy, or happiness. The name is predominantly found among Hindus, particularly in northern and western regions of India.
ANAND is believed to have first appeared in historical records and manuscripts around the 8th century CE. Some early references can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and Puranas, where it was used as a descriptive term or epithet for deities and revered figures associated with joy and bliss.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname ANAND was Anandacharya, a renowned Hindu philosopher and scholar who lived in the 9th century CE. He was a prominent figure in the Advaita Vedanta tradition and authored several influential works on Hindu philosophy.
Another notable bearer of the ANAND surname was Anand Kalindi, a 13th-century poet and writer from Gujarat, India. His literary works, including the renowned "Anand Lahari," celebrated the themes of divine love and spiritual bliss.
In the 16th century, Anand Sangeet, a celebrated composer and musician from the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, made significant contributions to the development of Hindustani classical music.
During the 19th century, Anand Mohan Bose, a renowned educationist and social reformer from Bengal, played a pivotal role in the Bengal Renaissance movement and worked towards the advancement of education and women's rights.
More recently, Anand Satyanand, born in 1944, became the first person of Indian descent to serve as the Governor-General of New Zealand, holding the position from 2006 to 2011.
The surname ANAND can also be found in variations such as Anandan and Anandhan, particularly in southern Indian states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These variations are derived from the same Sanskrit root but may have undergone regional linguistic adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anand
Among Census respondents with the surname Anand, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Anand 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 Anand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.4% · 5,694
- White3.8% · 234
- Two or more races2.4% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 39
- Black or African American0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anand
Anand 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
#8,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,798
+1,840 bearers (+94.0%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 5,450 places
2020
#5,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,160
+2,362 bearers (+62.2%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Up 3,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,101 | 1,958 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,651 | 3,798 | 1.29 | +1,840 bearers (+94.0%) | Up 5,450 places |
| 2020 | #5,458 | 6,160 | 2.06 | +2,362 bearers (+62.2%) | Up 3,193 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 Anand 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 | #8,651 | #5,458 | 36.9% |
| Count | 3,798 | 6,160 | 62.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 2.06 | 59.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anand bearers went from 3,798 to 6,160 (+62.2% change). The surname moved up 3,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,651 to #5,458.
FAQ
Anand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anand?
Name Census estimates that about 7,064 living Americans carry the surname Anand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,521 residents.
How common is Anand?
Anand ranks #5,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 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 6,160 people with the surname Anand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,064), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 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 Anand.
Has Anand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anand went from 3,798 recorded bearers to 6,160. That is an increase of 2,362 (+62.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,651 to #5,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Anand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anand, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Anand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.4%), White (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Anand (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 Anand mean?
A surname of Indian origin meaning "happiness," "bliss," or "contentment." 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 Anand (2.06 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 Americans have the surname Anand?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.