Explore the Family Name Devi

The meaning of Devi

Indian: honorific term used with the names of women, from Sanskrit devī ‘goddess’. It is used as a surname by some women who do not wish to use their traditional name or who do not have a surname as such. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Shanti, Uma, Gayatri, Bimla, Chandra, Kamla, Amala, Aruna, Asha, Darshan, Durga, Indira.

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

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

The popularity of the surname "Devi" has significantly increased in the United States, according to data sourced from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Devi was ranked as the 28,194th most common surname, with only about 799 individuals bearing the name. By 2010, the rank had risen to 18,068 and the count had nearly doubled to 1,543 people - a notable increase of over 93 percent. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a significant rise, increasing by 73.33 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#28,194	#18,068	35.92%
Count	799	1,543	93.12%
Proportion per 100k	0.3	0.52	73.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Devi

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Devi surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This demographic has seen a growth of 5.24 percent from 81.10 percent in 2000 to 85.35 percent in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as two or more races decreased by 33.54 percent during the same period. The number of Devi's identifying as white fell slightly by 8.97 percent, while the Hispanic representation halved from 1 percent to 0.52 percent. The census introduced new categories in 2010, revealing that 1.10 percent identified as Black and 0.71 percent as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	81.1%	85.35%	5.24%
Two or More Races	11.51%	7.65%	-33.54%
White	5.13%	4.67%	-8.97%
Black	0%	1.1%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0.71%	0%
Hispanic	1%	0.52%	-48%