2000
#22,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,072
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Bhagat
A surname indicating a devotee or follower, often of a spiritual or religious background.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,916 Americans carry the last name Bhagat. That puts it at #11,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhagat 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 Bhagat with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,543
Census rank
#11,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,543 bearers of the surname Bhagat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhagat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhagat
The surname BHAGAT has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions of the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhakta," which means "devotee" or "worshipper." The name is closely associated with the Bhakti movement, a spiritual revival that swept across the Indian subcontinent between the 7th and 17th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname BHAGAT can be traced back to the medieval period, particularly in the writings of the Sikh Gurus and the Bhakti saints. One notable example is Kabir, a renowned 15th-century mystic and poet, who is often referred to as "Kabir Bhagat" in historical texts.
In the 16th century, the surname BHAGAT gained prominence during the reign of the Mughal Empire. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, is believed to have had a close association with individuals bearing the surname BHAGAT, as evidenced by the inclusion of their compositions in the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of Sikhism.
The BHAGAT surname is closely linked to several prominent figures throughout history. One such individual is Ravidas, a 15th-century spiritual teacher and poet from the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh. His teachings and writings have had a profound impact on the Bhakti movement and continue to inspire followers to this day.
Another notable figure is Mirabai, a 16th-century Hindu mystic and devotional poet from the royal family of Mewar (present-day Rajasthan). She is renowned for her unwavering devotion to Lord Krishna and her poetic compositions, which are still widely recited and celebrated.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with Bulleh Shah, a renowned Sufi poet and spiritual teacher from the Punjab region. His poetry, which often celebrated the unity of all religions and the love for the divine, has left an indelible mark on the region's cultural and literary landscape.
The BHAGAT surname has also been associated with various place names and locations across the Indian subcontinent. One such example is the town of Ravidaspuram, named after the 15th-century Bhakti saint Ravidas, located in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
While the surname BHAGAT has its roots in the northern regions of India, it has since spread across the country and beyond, carried by individuals and families who have migrated to different parts of the world. The name continues to hold significant cultural and spiritual significance, reflecting the rich heritage and traditions of the Indian subcontinent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhagat
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhagat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhagat 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 Bhagat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.7% · 2,331
- White3.6% · 92
- Two or more races3.3% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhagat
Bhagat 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
#16,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,726
+654 bearers (+61.0%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 5,787 places
2020
#11,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,543
+817 bearers (+47.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 4,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,403 | 1,072 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,616 | 1,726 | 0.59 | +654 bearers (+61.0%) | Up 5,787 places |
| 2020 | #11,782 | 2,543 | 0.85 | +817 bearers (+47.3%) | Up 4,834 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 Bhagat 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 | #16,616 | #11,782 | 29.1% |
| Count | 1,726 | 2,543 | 47.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.85 | 44.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhagat bearers went from 1,726 to 2,543 (+47.3% change). The surname moved up 4,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,616 to #11,782.
FAQ
Bhagat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhagat?
Name Census estimates that about 2,916 living Americans carry the surname Bhagat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,543 residents.
How common is Bhagat?
Bhagat ranks #11,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,543 people with the surname Bhagat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,916), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bhagat.
Has Bhagat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhagat went from 1,726 recorded bearers to 2,543. That is an increase of 817 (+47.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,616 to #11,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhagat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhagat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bhagat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,331 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhagat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.7%), White (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bhagat (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 Bhagat mean?
A surname indicating a devotee or follower, often of a spiritual or religious background. 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 Bhagat (0.85 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 are called Bhagat?
Want to know how common the surname Bhagat is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.