2000
#2,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,870
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.51
Uncommon Last name
Sharma
A surname of Indian origin indicating the individual belongs to the Brahmin caste, traditionally associated with priests, teachers, and scholars.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,285 Americans carry the last name Sharma. That puts it at #727 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,432 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharma 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 Sharma with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,432
Census rank
#727
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,467 bearers of the surname Sharma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 727th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharma, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharma
The surname SHARMA is of Indian origin, originating from the Sanskrit word 'Sharman' meaning 'shelter' or 'protection'. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century BCE during the Vedic period in ancient India.
The name SHARMA was initially associated with the Brahmin caste, who were traditionally priests, scholars, and teachers in Hindu society. It was a title bestowed upon those who had mastered the Vedas, the sacred Hindu scriptures, and provided spiritual guidance to the community.
The earliest known references to the name SHARMA can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions. One notable mention is in the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic dating back to the 8th century BCE, where several characters bear the SHARMA surname.
In the 11th century CE, the SHARMA name gained prominence with the rise of the Rajput ruler Anangpal Tomar, who established the Tomar dynasty in present-day Delhi and Haryana regions. His descendants, including the famous ruler Prithviraj Chauhan (1166-1192 CE), carried the SHARMA surname.
Over time, the SHARMA surname spread across various regions of India, particularly in the northern and western parts of the country. Some notable individuals with the SHARMA surname include:
1. Pandit Vishnu Sharma (c. 3rd century BCE), the legendary author of the ancient Sanskrit collection of fables and folktales known as the Panchatantra.
2. Aryabhata (476-550 CE), a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who contributed significantly to the field of astronomy and developed the concept of zero.
3. Acharya Shridhara (c. 8th century CE), a prominent Hindu philosopher and commentator on various Sanskrit texts, including the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita.
4. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833 CE), a Bengali Hindu Renaissance figure who played a pivotal role in the abolition of the practice of Sati (widow burning) and the revival of Hinduism.
5. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861-1946 CE), an Indian educationist and politician who founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and was a prominent member of the Indian Independence Movement.
The SHARMA surname is also closely associated with various place names and localities across India, such as Sharma Nagar, Sharma Colony, and Sharma Kund, reflecting the widespread presence of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharma
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharma, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharma 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 Sharma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.1% · 42,788
- White3.5% · 1,615
- Two or more races2.5% · 1,181
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 394
- Black or African American0.7% · 327
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 162
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharma
Sharma 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
#1,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,559
+13,689 bearers (+92.1%)
Per 100,000 9.68
Rank movement Up 1,011 places
2020
#727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,467
+17,908 bearers (+62.7%)
Per 100,000 15.55
Rank movement Up 509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,247 | 14,870 | 5.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,236 | 28,559 | 9.68 | +13,689 bearers (+92.1%) | Up 1,011 places |
| 2020 | #727 | 46,467 | 15.55 | +17,908 bearers (+62.7%) | Up 509 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 Sharma 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 | #1,236 | #727 | 41.2% |
| Count | 28,559 | 46,467 | 62.7% |
| Per 100K | 9.68 | 15.55 | 60.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharma bearers went from 28,559 to 46,467 (+62.7% change). The surname moved up 509 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,236 to #727.
FAQ
Sharma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharma?
Name Census estimates that about 53,285 living Americans carry the surname Sharma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,432 residents.
How common is Sharma?
Sharma ranks #727 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,467 people with the surname Sharma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,285), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Sharma.
Has Sharma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharma went from 28,559 recorded bearers to 46,467. That is an increase of 17,908 (+62.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,236 to #727.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharma, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sharma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (42,788 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.1%), White (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sharma (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 Sharma mean?
A surname of Indian origin indicating the individual belongs to the Brahmin caste, traditionally associated with priests, teachers, and scholars. 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 Sharma (15.55 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 have the surname Sharma?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.