Explore the Family Name Ahluwalia

The meaning of Ahluwalia

Indian (Punjab): Sikh name derived from the placename Ahlu + the Punjabi adjectival suffix -wāliā, i.e. person from Ahlu, a village near Lahore, which was founded by Sada Singh Alal, a member of the Kalal community. The title Ahluwalia ‘person from Ahlu’ was first taken by Jassa Singh, a descendant of Sada Singh. The Ahluwalias ruled in Kapurthala, a district in the Punjab which was once a small princely state. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Brij, Anant, Anup, Hardip, Jagdip, Sanjay, Ajay, Amrit, Amrita, Anil, Anju, Arvind.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ahluwalia in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Ahluwalia has seen a substantial increase between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname moved up from 26,056 to 21,868, indicating a change of 16.07 percent. Furthermore, the count of this surname also increased by 34.39 percent, from 884 in 2000 to 1,188 in 2010. Equally important, the proportion per 100k people for this surname saw an uptick of 21.21 percent during this decade.

20002010Change
Rank#26,056#21,86816.07%
Count8841,18834.39%
Proportion per 100k0.330.421.21%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ahluwalia

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Ahluwalia surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group saw an increase from 83.94 percent in 2000 to 88.72 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, individuals identifying as two or more races decreased significantly by 46.72 percent. The percentage of Ahluwalias who identify as white saw a slight increase of 1.41 percent, while those identifying as Hispanic fell by 31.01 percent. There were no individuals with this surname who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander83.94%88.72%5.69%
White4.98%5.05%1.41%
Two or More Races9.16%4.88%-46.72%
Hispanic1.58%1.09%-31.01%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%