Explore the Family Name Dhanani

The meaning of Dhanani

Indian (Gujarat) and Pakistani (Sindh): from the personal name of an ancestor, beginning with the Sanskrit element dhan(a) ‘wealth’ (for example Dhanesh ‘lord of wealth’ or Dhanaraj ‘king of wealth’), + the suffix -ani ‘descendant of’ (see Ani). Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Karim, Mahmood, Shiraz, Alnoor, Aly, Amir, Nasim, Nasruddin, Nizar, Noor, Shireen, Siraj. Indian Anuja, Chandulal, Dinesh, Falguni, Harsha, Jayesh, Mukesh, Neeta, Nilam, Ramesh, Suresh, Tulsi.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Dhanani has grown more popular in the United States over the years. In 2000, it was ranked as the 38,942nd most common surname but climbed to the 31,689th position by 2010, indicating an increase of 18.63%. The count of individuals with this surname also rose from 533 in 2000 to 729 in 2010, marking a significant growth rate of 36.77%. Accordingly, the proportion of people named Dhanani per 100,000 residents increased by 25% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#38,942#31,68918.63%
Count53372936.77%
Proportion per 100k0.20.2525%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dhanani

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of those carrying the Dhanani surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. In 2000, 78.80% of Dhananis identified as such, and this percentage grew to 86.69% by 2010, showing an increase of 10.01%. Over the same decade, the number of those identifying as having two or more ethnicities declined dramatically by 51.27%, while the percentage of white Dhananis decreased by 37.29%. Interestingly, no Dhananis identified as Hispanic or Black in 2000, but by 2010, there were 2.06% identifying as Hispanic. The small number of Dhananis identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a slight decrease of 8.67%.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander78.8%86.69%10.01%
Two or More Races11.82%5.76%-51.27%
White6.57%4.12%-37.29%
Hispanic0%2.06%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.5%1.37%-8.67%
Black0%0%0%