Explore the Family Name Karunaratne

The meaning of Karunaratne

Sri Lankan: Sinhalese surname whose first element derives ultimately from Sanskrit karuṇā ‘compassion’, + the surname-forming element -ratne, literally ‘gem’, from Sanskrit ratna.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Karunaratne has seen a notable increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 108,153rd most popular surname in the United States; however, by 2010, it had risen to the 86,645th spot — a significant change of approximately 19.89%. The count of people with this surname also increased during this period, going from 152 to 215, marking a substantial 41.45% growth. The proportion of individuals named Karunaratne per 100,000 people also grew, moving from 0.06 to 0.07, which indicates a rise of around 16.67%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#108,153	#86,645	19.89%
Count	152	215	41.45%
Proportion per 100k	0.06	0.07	16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Karunaratne

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Karunaratne, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, is predominantly Asian/Pacific Islander, accounting for 84.87% in 2000 and slightly dipping to 84.65% in 2010. During the same period, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races rose marginally from 7.89% to 7.91%. The proportion of those identifying as White saw a decrease from 5.26% to 3.26%. Interestingly, there were no individuals identified as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000; however, by 2010, the Hispanic population carrying the surname Karunaratne emerged at 2.33%, while the other categories remained at zero.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	84.87%	84.65%	-0.26%
Two or More Races	7.89%	7.91%	0.25%
White	5.26%	3.26%	-38.02%
Hispanic	0%	2.33%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%