2000
#25,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 889
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Chadha
Derived from the Sanskrit word 'Chhadma', meaning 'disguise'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,101 Americans carry the last name Chadha. That puts it at #15,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chadha 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 Chadha with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,139
Census rank
#15,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,832 bearers of the surname Chadha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chadha, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chadha
The surname "CHADHA" is of Indian origin, originating from the Punjab region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. The name traces its roots back to the 16th century or earlier, deriving from the Sanskrit word "chadhna," which means "to mount" or "to climb." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived in or near a hilly or mountainous area.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts from the Mughal era, often referring to individuals of the Khatri caste, a prominent trading and mercantile community in the region. One notable early bearer of the name was Chadha Mal, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the late 17th century and was known for his philanthropic contributions to the construction of temples and educational institutions.
The name has also been associated with several notable personalities throughout history. Sardar Bahadur Sir Chadha Singh (1859-1935) was a distinguished Indian civil servant and politician who served as a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council and played a significant role in the development of the Indian Civil Service. Another prominent figure was Chadha Jagdish Singh (1902-1980), a renowned Punjabi writer and poet who made significant contributions to Punjabi literature and was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan by the Indian government.
In the realm of business and industry, Chadha Rattan Singh (1927-2015) was a pioneering figure in the Indian steel industry, founding and leading the Chadha Group, one of the largest steel manufacturing conglomerates in the country. Likewise, Chadha Krishan Lal (1924-2012) was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist who established the Chadha Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to promoting education and healthcare initiatives.
Another notable bearer of the name was Chadha Vishnu Bhagwan (1915-1982), a distinguished Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Ambassador of India to several countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
While the name "CHADHA" has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical roots and associations remain firmly rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of the Punjab region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chadha
Among Census respondents with the surname Chadha, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chadha 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 Chadha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.2% · 1,616
- Two or more races5.2% · 96
- White4.7% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chadha
Chadha 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
#19,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,407
+518 bearers (+58.3%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 6,679 places
2020
#15,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,832
+425 bearers (+30.2%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 3,853 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,945 | 889 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,266 | 1,407 | 0.48 | +518 bearers (+58.3%) | Up 6,679 places |
| 2020 | #15,413 | 1,832 | 0.61 | +425 bearers (+30.2%) | Up 3,853 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 Chadha 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 | #19,266 | #15,413 | 20.0% |
| Count | 1,407 | 1,832 | 30.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.61 | 27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chadha bearers went from 1,407 to 1,832 (+30.2% change). The surname moved up 3,853 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,266 to #15,413.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chadha
FAQ
Chadha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chadha?
Name Census estimates that about 2,101 living Americans carry the surname Chadha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,139 residents.
How common is Chadha?
Chadha ranks #15,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,832 people with the surname Chadha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Chadha.
Has Chadha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chadha went from 1,407 recorded bearers to 1,832. That is an increase of 425 (+30.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,266 to #15,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Chadha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chadha, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (4.7%). 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 Chadha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (1,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chadha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%), White (4.7%). 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 Chadha (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 Chadha mean?
Derived from the Sanskrit word 'Chhadma', meaning 'disguise'. 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 Chadha (0.61 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 Chadha?
Want to know how many people are called Chadha? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.