2000
#14,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,829
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Chopra
A occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold bangles, bracelets, or other ornaments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,245 Americans carry the last name Chopra. That puts it at #8,531 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chopra 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 Chopra with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,743
Census rank
#8,531
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,702 bearers of the surname Chopra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8531st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chopra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chopra
The surname Chopra is of Indian origin, specifically from the Punjab region of northern India. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries.
The name Chopra is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chopra," which means "poet" or "writer." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely poets, scholars, or writers by profession or occupation.
In ancient Indian texts and manuscripts, such as the Puranas and the Epics, there are references to individuals with the name Chopra. While specific dates are difficult to pinpoint, these mentions indicate the antiquity of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chopra can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It mentions a poet named Kavi Chopra, who lived during the reign of Akbar (1556-1605).
Another notable historical figure with the surname Chopra was Bhai Mati Das Chopra, a Sikh scholar and martyr who lived in the 17th century. He was executed in 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Chopra surname was prevalent in various parts of Punjab, particularly in the cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar. Some prominent individuals from this period include Lala Dharam Das Chopra (1781-1858), a renowned poet and author, and Nawab Kapur Singh Chopra (1812-1884), a nobleman and philanthropist.
In more recent history, several noteworthy individuals with the surname Chopra have gained recognition in various fields. These include Dr. Deepak Chopra (born 1946), a world-renowned author, physician, and alternative medicine advocate; Anil Chopra (born 1956), a renowned civil engineer and academic; and Priyanka Chopra (born 1982), a celebrated actress and former Miss World.
While the surname Chopra is primarily associated with the Indian subcontinent, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the Punjab region of northern India, where it originated as a name associated with poets, writers, and scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chopra
Among Census respondents with the surname Chopra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chopra 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 Chopra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.7% · 3,245
- White5.6% · 208
- Two or more races4.8% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chopra
Chopra 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
#10,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,897
+1,068 bearers (+58.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 3,878 places
2020
#8,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,702
+805 bearers (+27.8%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 2,448 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,857 | 1,829 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,979 | 2,897 | 0.98 | +1,068 bearers (+58.4%) | Up 3,878 places |
| 2020 | #8,531 | 3,702 | 1.24 | +805 bearers (+27.8%) | Up 2,448 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 Chopra 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 | #10,979 | #8,531 | 22.3% |
| Count | 2,897 | 3,702 | 27.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 1.24 | 26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chopra bearers went from 2,897 to 3,702 (+27.8% change). The surname moved up 2,448 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,979 to #8,531.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chopra
FAQ
Chopra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chopra?
Name Census estimates that about 4,245 living Americans carry the surname Chopra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,743 residents.
How common is Chopra?
Chopra ranks #8,531 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,702 people with the surname Chopra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Chopra.
Has Chopra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chopra went from 2,897 recorded bearers to 3,702. That is an increase of 805 (+27.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,979 to #8,531.
What does the Census say about the background of Chopra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chopra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Chopra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (3,245 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chopra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.7%), White (5.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Chopra (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 Chopra mean?
A occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold bangles, bracelets, or other ornaments. 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 Chopra (1.24 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 Chopra?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Chopra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.