Explore the Family Name Chandra
The meaning of Chandra
Indian (West Bengal) and Bangladeshi: Kayastha name, from Sanskrit čandra ‘pleasant, shining; moon’. It occurs commonly as the final element of compound personal names such as Ramachandra (see Ram and Ramachandran) and Krishnachandra (see Krishna). Compare Chander, Chanda. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Ramesh, Suresh, Subhash, Satish, Dinesh, Sushil, Umesh, Naveen, Amitabh, Kailash, Mahesh, Prakash.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Chandra in the United States?
The popularity of the surname 'Chandra' has grown significantly in the United States, as evidenced by data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In the year 2000, it was ranked 11,818th in terms of commonality and accounted for a proportion of 0.9 per 100,000 individuals. By 2010, the rank had improved to 8,977th and the proportion per 100,000 had risen to 1.24, which indicates a growth of 24.04% in its rank and 50.12% in the count over the decade.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | #11,818 | #8,977 | 24.04% |
Count | 2,428 | 3,645 | 50.12% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.9 | 1.24 | 37.78% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chandra
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the surname 'Chandra' identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. Their representation within this group increased from 79.86% in 2000 to 84.42% in 2010, a rise of 5.71%. Those identifying with two or more races decreased from 11.61% to 8.04%, while those identifying as White decreased slightly from 5.02% to 4.91%. The Hispanic population saw a significant decrease from 1.40% to 0.63%, and the Black population saw a minor increase from 1.57% to 1.67%. Meanwhile, the American Indian and Alaskan Native representation dropped from 0.54% to 0.33%.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Asian/Pacific Islander | 79.86% | 84.42% | 5.71% |
Two or More Races | 11.61% | 8.04% | -30.75% |
White | 5.02% | 4.91% | -2.19% |
Black | 1.57% | 1.67% | 6.37% |
Hispanic | 1.4% | 0.63% | -55% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.54% | 0.33% | -38.89% |
Chandra 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 Chandra is Northern Indian & Pakistani, which comprises 28.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Southern Indian & Sri Lankan (20.4%) and Chinese (19.9%). Additional ancestries include Bengali & Northeast Indian, Southern Indian Subgroup, British & Irish, French & German, and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma.
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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
---|---|
Northern Indian & Pakistani | 28.9% |
Southern Indian & Sri Lankan | 20.4% |
Chinese | 19.9% |
Other | 30.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Chandra
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 Chandra have recent ancestry locations in China and India.
RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
---|---|
Fujian, China | 25.60% |
Guangdong, China | 25.60% |
Jiangsu, China | 25.60% |
Shandong, China | 25.60% |
Shanghai, China | 25.60% |
What Chandra 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 Chandra is J-M172, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-M172 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include H-M52 and R-L266, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Fernando, Choudhury, Parikh, De Silva, Gandhi, Zaman, Krishnan, Shaikh, Haque, Baig.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Chandra surname are: M, U2_3_4_7_8_9, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Your paternal lineage may be linked to some of the first farmers
The first farmers in western Eurasia lived in the Fertile Crescent, a region of the Middle East stretching from the Nile Delta to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. With their new technology, they were able to live more sedentary lives, support larger populations, and build civilizations. They also began to move rapidly outwards from the Middle East. One of the earliest regions they expanded into was Armenia, a crossroads between the Middle East and northern Eurasia that was transformed into a fertile landscape at the end of the Ice Age. In addition to their culture, some of the men involved in this early migration carried haplogroup J-M172. In fact, their arrival in the region left genetic signatures that can still be seen in the J-M172 lineages found in Armenian men today, especially in Ararat Valley, Gardman, and Lake Van.
Your 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 Chandra 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
Traits
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Chandra" Surname 28.0%
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.
"Chandra" Surname 13.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Chandra?
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 Chandra are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition