Explore the Family Name Krishnan
The meaning of Krishnan
Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): from a personal name derived from Sanskrit krṣṇa ‘black, dark’ (see Krishna) + the Tamil-Malayalam third-person masculine singular suffix -n. — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Radha, Ramesh, Ram, Suresh, Mahesh, Murali, Raj, Rajesh, Ravi, Anand, Anantha, Rama.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Krishnan in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Krishnan saw a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked as the 13,604th most popular surname in 2000, it rose to the 8,631st position by 2010, marking an impressive 36.56% change in rank. The count of individuals with this surname also nearly doubled from 2,047 in 2000 to 3,810 in 2010, indicating an 86.13% increase. This rise in numbers pushed the proportion per 100,000 people from 0.76 to 1.29, showing a growth of 69.74%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,604 | #8,631 | 36.56% |
| Count | 2,047 | 3,810 | 86.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.76 | 1.29 | 69.74% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Krishnan
In terms of ethnic identity based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority of people with the surname Krishnan identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010. The percentage increased by 3.17%, moving from 91.79% to 94.70%. Those identifying with two or more races, however, decreased significantly from 5.32% to 2.31%. The percentage of Krishnans who identified as White showed a slight increase from 2.20% to 2.31%. Hispanic representation also grew marginally from 0.24% to 0.26%, while those identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native appeared for the first time in 2010, at 0.26% and 0.16% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 91.79% | 94.7% | 3.17% |
| Two or More Races | 5.32% | 2.31% | -56.58% |
| White | 2.2% | 2.31% | 5% |
| Hispanic | 0.24% | 0.26% | 8.33% |
| Black | 0% | 0.26% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.16% | 0% |
Krishnan 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 Krishnan is Southern Indian Subgroup, which comprises 54.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Southern Indian & Sri Lankan (25.9%) and British & Irish (4.4%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Malayali Subgroup, Northern Indian & Pakistani, Filipino & Austronesian, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Southern Indian Subgroup | 54.7% |
| Southern Indian & Sri Lankan | 25.9% |
| British & Irish | 4.4% |
| Other | 14.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Krishnan
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 Krishnan have recent ancestry locations in India and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu, India | 36.80% |
| Kerala, India | 26.30% |
| Andhra Pradesh, India | 23.20% |
| Karnataka, India | 21.10% |
| Gujarat, India | 11.60% |
What Krishnan 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 Krishnan is R-L657, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup R-L657 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include L-M27 and H-M69, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Patil, Choudhury, Fernando, Varghese, Rao, Kulkarni, Nair, Akhtar, Shaikh, Iyer.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Krishnan surname are: M, U2_3_4_7_8_9, U2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Krishnan 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.
"Krishnan" Surname 47.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Krishnan" Surname 47.4%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Krishnan" Surname 20.0%
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.
"Krishnan" Surname 11.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Krishnan?
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 Krishnan are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition