Explore the Family Name Banerjee
The meaning of Banerjee
Indian (West Bengal) and Bangladeshi: Brahmin name, the first syllable of which, Ban-, is a shortened form of the village name Bandoghat. The final element, -jee, is an altered form of jhā, a much shortened form of Sanskrit upādhyāya ‘teacher’. Thus, Banerjee means ‘teacher from Bandoghat’. In Bengali names formed with -jee, the first element usually denotes a village founded by Ballal(a) Sen(a), a legendary 12th-century king of Bengal. A Sanskritized form of this name is Bandyopadhyay. Vandyopadhyaya, apparently a variant of this, was coined quite recently, as if from the elements vandya ‘venerable’ + upādhyāya ‘teacher’. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Partha, Amit, Soumya, Aniruddha, Dilip, Bharati, Bhaskar, Ranjan, Shampa, Swapan, Tapan, Utpal.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Banerjee in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Banerjee has seen a significant increase in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 17,521st most popular, and by 2010 it had jumped to 11,543rd place, marking a change of 34.12 percent. The count of individuals with this surname also surged from 1,482 to 2,723, an impressive rise of 83.74 percent. Consequently, the proportion of Banerjees per 100,000 people went up from 0.55 to 0.92, showing a 67.27 percent increase.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,521 | #11,543 | 34.12% |
| Count | 1,482 | 2,723 | 83.74% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.55 | 0.92 | 67.27% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Banerjee
On the subject of ethnicity, the Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the surname Banerjee identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group increased from accounting for 86.30 percent of Banerjees in 2000 to 91.63 percent in 2010, a rise of 6.18 percent. Those identifying as two or more races decreased by 44.28 percent during the same period. The proportion of Banerjees identifying as White saw a decline of 37.80 percent, while those identifying as Hispanic recorded a decrease of 32.95 percent. Interestingly, no individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, but by 2010, these groups constituted 0.22 percent and 0.18 percent respectively of the Banerjee population.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 86.3% | 91.63% | 6.18% |
| White | 7.09% | 4.41% | -37.8% |
| Two or More Races | 5.33% | 2.97% | -44.28% |
| Hispanic | 0.88% | 0.59% | -32.95% |
| Black | 0% | 0.22% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.18% | 0% |
Banerjee ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Banerjee is Northern Indian & Pakistani, which comprises 58.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Bengali & Northeast Indian (26.9%) and Southern Indian & Sri Lankan (3.3%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Italian, French & German, Eastern European, and Greek & Balkan.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Northern Indian & Pakistani | 58.7% |
| Bengali & Northeast Indian | 26.9% |
| Southern Indian & Sri Lankan | 3.3% |
| Other | 11.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Banerjee
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Banerjee have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in India, and Bangladesh.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Bengal, India | 30.00% |
| Dhaka Division, Bangladesh | 18.80% |
| Gujarat, India | 16.30% |
| Punjab, India | 10.00% |
| Uttar Pradesh, India | 10.00% |
What Banerjee haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Banerjee is R-Y7, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup R-Y7 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M417 and R-L657, which are predominantly found among people with European and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Malhotra, Kapoor, Sidhu, Joshi, Verma, Sharma, Singh, Amin, Arora, Bhatt.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Banerjee surname are: M, R, M30. These most commonly trace back to individuals of Central & South Asian and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your maternal lineage may be linked to the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent
While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.
What do people with the surname Banerjee have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Banerjee" Surname 41.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Banerjee" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Banerjee" Surname 16.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Banerjee" Surname 10.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Banerjee?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Banerjee are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition