2000
#49,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Rare Last name
Prajapati
A Sanskrit surname referring to a divine progenitor or lord of all beings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,496 Americans carry the last name Prajapati. That puts it at #13,379 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prajapati 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 Prajapati with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,321
Census rank
#13,379
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,177 bearers of the surname Prajapati in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13379th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prajapati, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prajapati
The surname PRAJAPATI has its origins in India, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Sanskrit words "pra" meaning "before" and "japat" meaning "to utter," referring to the Creator or Lord of all beings. The name is believed to have originated from the Hindu mythology, where Prajapati is considered the progenitor of all living beings.
In Hindu scriptures, Prajapati is described as the primordial deity responsible for the creation of the universe and the propagation of life. The name is often associated with the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are considered manifestations of the supreme Prajapati.
The earliest recorded use of the surname PRAJAPATI can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, where it is mentioned in various contexts related to creation and divine beings. It is also found in the epic poems Ramayana and Mahabharata, which date back to around the 5th century BCE.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the surname PRAJAPATI was Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883), a renowned Hindu philosopher and social reformer. He founded the Arya Samaj, a reformist movement that sought to revive the Vedic teachings and promote social equality.
Another prominent figure was Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a celebrated spiritual leader and one of the most influential figures in the revival of Hinduism in modern times. He introduced the teachings of Vedanta to the Western world and played a significant role in promoting the concept of universal brotherhood.
In the field of science, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Prajapati (1904-1984) was a notable Indian physicist and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of relativity and quantum mechanics and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Allahabad.
In the realm of literature, Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi (1855-1907), better known by his pen name "Govardhanram Prajapati," was a renowned Gujarati poet and writer. His works, such as "Narmakavita" and "Narmakatha," are considered masterpieces of Gujarati literature.
Another notable figure was Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya (1913-2003), a spiritual leader and founder of the Gayatri Pariwar movement. He advocated for the revival of Vedic teachings and promoted the practice of meditation and spiritual development.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname PRAJAPATI throughout history, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the Hindu tradition and its significance in various fields, including philosophy, spirituality, science, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prajapati
Among Census respondents with the surname Prajapati, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Prajapati 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 Prajapati surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.0% · 2,047
- White2.5% · 55
- Two or more races2.1% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prajapati
Prajapati 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
#24,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,029
+634 bearers (+160.5%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 25,517 places
2020
#13,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,177
+1,148 bearers (+111.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 10,973 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,869 | 395 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,352 | 1,029 | 0.35 | +634 bearers (+160.5%) | Up 25,517 places |
| 2020 | #13,379 | 2,177 | 0.73 | +1,148 bearers (+111.6%) | Up 10,973 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 Prajapati 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 | #24,352 | #13,379 | 45.1% |
| Count | 1,029 | 2,177 | 111.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.73 | 108.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prajapati bearers went from 1,029 to 2,177 (+111.6% change). The surname moved up 10,973 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,352 to #13,379.
FAQ
Prajapati surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prajapati?
Name Census estimates that about 2,496 living Americans carry the surname Prajapati. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,321 residents.
How common is Prajapati?
Prajapati ranks #13,379 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,177 people with the surname Prajapati. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,496), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Prajapati.
Has Prajapati become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prajapati went from 1,029 recorded bearers to 2,177. That is an increase of 1,148 (+111.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,352 to #13,379.
What does the Census say about the background of Prajapati?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prajapati, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Prajapati in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prajapati appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.0%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Prajapati (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 Prajapati mean?
A Sanskrit surname referring to a divine progenitor or lord of all beings. 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 Prajapati (0.73 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 share the surname Prajapati?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.