2000
#10,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Ram
A surname of Hindi origin referring to a male deity, lord, or king.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,614 Americans carry the last name Ram. That puts it at #6,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ram 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 Ram with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,053
Census rank
#6,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,896 bearers of the surname Ram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ram, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Hispanic (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ram
The surname Ram is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word 'ramm', meaning 'a ram'. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century as a descriptive name for someone who had some perceived resemblance or characteristic of a ram. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who kept or tended rams.
Ram is first recorded as a surname in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Ramme. It was a relatively common name in medieval England, particularly in counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Early examples of the name include William Ramme, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and Reginald le Ram, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1283.
In the 14th century, the surname is found in various spellings, such as Ramme, Rammes, and Rammys. The modern spelling of Ram appears to have been established by the 16th century. Notable historical figures with the surname Ram include Sir Thomas Ram (c.1500-1579), an English politician and Sheriff of Norfolk, and Thomas Ram (1572-1653), an English clergyman and author of works on theology and philosophy.
The Ram surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Ramsholt in Suffolk and Ramsbury in Wiltshire. These places likely derived their names from Old English words related to 'ram', indicating areas where rams were raised or kept.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ram include John Ram (1553-1610), an English politician and Member of Parliament, and Sir William Ram (1770-1834), an English naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. In the 19th century, Robert Ram (1799-1873) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including St. Paul's Church in Rusthall, Kent.
Throughout history, the Ram surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, politicians, architects, and military officers. While its origins may have been humble, it has become a respected surname with a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ram
Among Census respondents with the surname Ram, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Hispanic (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ram 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 Ram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander66.8% · 3,272
- White13.4% · 654
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 434
- Two or more races5.1% · 249
- Black or African American4.7% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ram
Ram 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
#8,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,853
+1,087 bearers (+39.3%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 2,082 places
2020
#6,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,896
+1,043 bearers (+27.1%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Up 1,915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,629 | 2,766 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,547 | 3,853 | 1.31 | +1,087 bearers (+39.3%) | Up 2,082 places |
| 2020 | #6,632 | 4,896 | 1.64 | +1,043 bearers (+27.1%) | Up 1,915 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 Ram 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 | #8,547 | #6,632 | 22.4% |
| Count | 3,853 | 4,896 | 27.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.64 | 25.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ram bearers went from 3,853 to 4,896 (+27.1% change). The surname moved up 1,915 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,547 to #6,632.
FAQ
Ram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ram?
Name Census estimates that about 5,614 living Americans carry the surname Ram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,053 residents.
How common is Ram?
Ram ranks #6,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 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 4,896 people with the surname Ram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,614), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 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 Ram.
Has Ram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ram went from 3,853 recorded bearers to 4,896. That is an increase of 1,043 (+27.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,547 to #6,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Ram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ram, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (13.4%) and Hispanic (8.9%). 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 Ram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (3,272 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (66.8%), White (13.4%), Hispanic (8.9%). 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 Ram (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 Ram mean?
A surname of Hindi origin referring to a male deity, lord, or king. 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 Ram (1.64 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 Ram?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.