Explore the Family Name Chowdhury
The meaning of Chowdhury
Indian (West Bengal) and Bangladeshi: status name for the head of a community or caste, based on Sanskrit čatus- ‘four-way, all-round’ + dhurīya (from Sanskrit dhura ‘burden’), i.e. ‘undertaking a burden of all-round responsibility’. The title was originally awarded by the Mughal emperors to persons of eminence, regardless of their religious affiliation. There is a Khatri clan called Chowdhury. In some traditions the term is believed to derive from a title for a military commander controlling four different fighting forces, namely navy, cavalry, infantry, and elephant corps, but this is probably no more than folk etymology. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Mohammed, Mohammad, Abdul, Abu, Iqbal, Shabbir, Abul, Ahmed, Akbar, Ali, Asif, Kamrul, Alam. Indian Dipak, Shyamal, Deepak, Manik, Partha, Seema, Abhijeet, Ajit, Amit, Amitabha, Arun.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Chowdhury in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Chowdhury has significantly increased in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Chowdhury was ranked 5539th in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had jumped to the 2997th position, marking a notable increase of approximately 46%. The number of individuals with this surname more than doubled from 5765 in 2000 to 11961 in 2010, showing a growth rate of over 107%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Chowdhury per 100,000 people also surged by nearly 90%, moving up from 2.14 to 4.05.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,539 | #2,997 | 45.89% |
| Count | 5,765 | 11,961 | 107.48% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.14 | 4.05 | 89.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chowdhury
Concerning ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that most individuals with the surname Chowdhury identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. In 2000, approximately 83% of Chowdhurys identified with this ethnic group, and this figure increased to about 94% by 2010, marking a change of around 13%. The percentage of Chowdhurys identifying with two or more races saw a significant decrease of roughly 79%, dropping from 11.74% in 2000 to 2.41% in 2010. There were also slight decreases in the percentages of Chowdhurys identifying as White, Hispanic, and Black. Interestingly, there was a small increase in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, from 0.61% in 2000 to 0.67% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 82.67% | 93.57% | 13.18% |
| Two or More Races | 11.74% | 2.41% | -79.47% |
| White | 3.42% | 2.23% | -34.8% |
| Hispanic | 0.87% | 0.79% | -9.2% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.61% | 0.67% | 9.84% |
| Black | 0.69% | 0.33% | -52.17% |
Chowdhury 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 Chowdhury is Bengali & Northeast Indian, which comprises 85.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Northern Indian & Pakistani (3.6%) and British & Irish (2.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, French & German, Scandinavian, Indigenous American, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Bengali & Northeast Indian | 85.8% |
| Northern Indian & Pakistani | 3.6% |
| British & Irish | 2.9% |
| Other | 7.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Chowdhury
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 Chowdhury have recent ancestry locations in Bangladesh and United Kingdom.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sylhet Division, Bangladesh | 51.60% |
| Dhaka Division, Bangladesh | 47.20% |
| Chittagong Division, Bangladesh | 38.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 6.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 5.70% |
What Chowdhury 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 Chowdhury is R-L266, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup R-L266 is descended from haplogroup R-M479. Other common haplogroups include R-Y6 and R-Y7, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Alam, Prasad, Sharma, Hussain, Kumar, Khan, Singh, Ahmed, Malik, Das.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Chowdhury surname are: M, M4_64, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M479
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Romani people
The Roma, who are also called "Gypsies" and "Romanies," are an ethnic group that originated in India and migrated to Europe 1,000 years ago. There are several different Roma populations, including Vlach Roma, who speak Hungarian and Romani languages, and Carpathian Roma, who speak exclusively Hungarian. Today, Roma populations mostly live in Southeastern and Central Europe, and make up about 7% of the total population in Hungary. Haplogroup R2a is also present in a Kuwaiti Bedouin population called the Awazim. It is possible that haplogroup R2a was brought into the Awazim population during the migration of the Roma people from India to Europe 1,000 years ago.
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 Chowdhury 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.
"Chowdhury" Surname 57.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Chowdhury" Surname 24.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Chowdhury" Surname 24.1%
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.
"Chowdhury" Surname 6.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Chowdhury?
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 Chowdhury are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition