Explore the Family Name Balram

The meaning of Balram

Indian: from a personal name denoting the older brother of the god Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu. It means ‘Ram the strong one’, referring to his legendary muscular strength and penchant for using farm equipment (notably the plow) as weaponry. This surname is found mainly in Guyana, and also in South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago. It is apparently not used in India.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Balram has seen a considerable rise in popularity within the United States between 2000 and 2010. Ranked as the 67,725th most popular surname in 2000, it jumped up to the 54,296th position by 2010, marking a significant increase of approximately 19.83%. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname also surged from 272 in 2000 to 380 in 2010, showing a growth rate of 39.71%. The proportion of people named Balram per 100,000 also increased by 30% during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#67,725#54,29619.83%
Count27238039.71%
Proportion per 100k0.10.1330%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Balram

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that there have been noticeable shifts among those bearing the surname Balram between 2000 and 2010. While the number of Asian/Pacific Islanders with this surname increased by 49.31%, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races declined drastically by 86.57%. The representation of Whites and Blacks within this surname group saw a substantial increase, with the former witnessing a jump of 173.76% and the latter escalating by an impressive 232.64%. Conversely, the proportion of Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities decreased by 28.53% and 67.33% respectively.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander42.65%63.68%49.31%
Black6.25%20.79%232.64%
White2.21%6.05%173.76%
Two or More Races41.18%5.53%-86.57%
Hispanic3.68%2.63%-28.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native4.04%1.32%-67.33%