2000
#13,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,047
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Krishnan
A surname of Indian origin, referring to someone descended from the Hindu deity Krishna.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,179 Americans carry the last name Krishnan. That puts it at #6,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krishnan 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 Krishnan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,471
Census rank
#6,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,388 bearers of the surname Krishnan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krishnan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krishnan
The surname Krishnan is of Indian origin, specifically from the Tamil speaking regions of southern India. It dates back to ancient times and is derived from the Sanskrit word "Krishna" which means dark or black.
The name Krishnan was originally an honorific title bestowed upon Vaishnavite Brahmins and other upper-caste Hindus who revered Lord Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu. Over time, it evolved into a surname used by various communities across South India.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Krishnan can be found in the ancient Tamil literary works of the Sangam period, which dates back to the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Several prominent poets and scholars from this era bore the name, including Krishnan Ravi, a celebrated Tamil poet and scholar from the 2nd century CE.
During the medieval period, the name Krishnan was associated with several influential figures in South Indian history. One notable example is Krishnan Raya, a 16th-century ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, who was known for his patronage of art and architecture.
In the 18th century, Krishnan Sastri, a renowned scholar and philosopher from Tamil Nadu, gained widespread recognition for his works on Hindu philosophy and theology.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Krishnan Iyer, a 19th-century social reformer and educator from Kerala, who played a crucial role in establishing modern educational institutions in the region.
In more recent times, Krishnan Nair Shantakumaran Nair, a renowned Kathakali artist and choreographer from Kerala, has contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of this classical Indian dance form.
Other notable individuals with the surname Krishnan include Krishnan Pandalai, a celebrated Indian writer and journalist from the early 20th century, and Krishnan Rajeshwari, a renowned Carnatic music vocalist and recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krishnan
Among Census respondents with the surname Krishnan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Krishnan 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 Krishnan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.9% · 5,006
- Two or more races2.9% · 158
- White2.9% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 33
- Black or African American0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krishnan
Krishnan 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
#8,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,810
+1,763 bearers (+86.1%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 4,973 places
2020
#6,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,388
+1,578 bearers (+41.4%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Up 2,528 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,604 | 2,047 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,631 | 3,810 | 1.29 | +1,763 bearers (+86.1%) | Up 4,973 places |
| 2020 | #6,103 | 5,388 | 1.80 | +1,578 bearers (+41.4%) | Up 2,528 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 Krishnan 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 | #8,631 | #6,103 | 29.3% |
| Count | 3,810 | 5,388 | 41.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.80 | 39.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krishnan bearers went from 3,810 to 5,388 (+41.4% change). The surname moved up 2,528 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,631 to #6,103.
FAQ
Krishnan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krishnan?
Name Census estimates that about 6,179 living Americans carry the surname Krishnan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,471 residents.
How common is Krishnan?
Krishnan ranks #6,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 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 5,388 people with the surname Krishnan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 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 Krishnan.
Has Krishnan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krishnan went from 3,810 recorded bearers to 5,388. That is an increase of 1,578 (+41.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,631 to #6,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Krishnan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krishnan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (2.9%). 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 Krishnan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (5,006 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krishnan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%), White (2.9%). 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 Krishnan (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 Krishnan mean?
A surname of Indian origin, referring to someone descended from the Hindu deity Krishna. 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 Krishnan (1.80 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 Krishnan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.