Explore the Family Name Govindan

The meaning of Govindan

Indian (mainly southern states): from a personal name derived from Sanskrit Govind ‘protector of cows’, an epithet of the god Krishna. — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Govindan saw a significant jump in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Govindan was ranked 109,915th in terms of prevalence, but by 2010, it had risen to 67,943rd place, marking a change rate of 38.19%. The count of individuals with this surname also nearly doubled from 149 in 2000 to 290 in 2010 – an increase of 94.63%. The proportion of people named Govindan per 100,000 increased from 0.06 to 0.1 over the same ten-year period, which indicates a growth rate of 66.67%.

20002010Change
Rank#109,915#67,94338.19%
Count14929094.63%
Proportion per 100k0.060.166.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Govindan

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of people bearing the surname Govindan identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, with the proportion moving up from 83.22% in 2000 to 88.62% in 2010. This adjustment signifies a growth of 6.49%. The second most common ethnicity in 2000 was those identifying with two or more races at 6.71%, but this figure dropped to zero by 2010. Over the same period, the percentage of individuals with the Govindan surname who identified as White rose from zero to 4.14%. Similarly, the numbers for Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native ethnic identities went from none in 2000 to 2.76% each in 2010. The proportion of Black individuals with this surname, however, decreased from 4.03% in 2000 to zero in 2010.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander83.22%88.62%6.49%
White0%4.14%0%
Hispanic0%2.76%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%2.76%0%
Two or More Races6.71%0%0%
Black4.03%0%0%