Explore the Family Name Modi

The meaning of Modi

Indian (Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Mumbai): Bania, Vania, Jain, and Parsi occupational name, from modi ‘grocer, grain merchant’ in the various languages of this region. There is a clan called Modi among the Oswal Banias. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Hemant, Ramesh, Jitendra, Manoj, Sunil, Jayesh, Pravin, Bhupendra, Hasmukh, Rajendra, Vinod, Anil.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Modi has significantly grown in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 14,544th in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it improved its standing to 10,429th. This represents a noteworthy rise of 28.29%. Furthermore, the overall count of people with the Modi surname increased from 1,879 in 2000 to 3,085 in 2010, showing a significant leap of 64.18%. The proportion of individuals named Modi per 100,000 also displayed an upsurge of 50% over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#14,544#10,42928.29%
Count1,8793,08564.18%
Proportion per 100k0.71.0550%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Modi

When discussing the ethnic identity associated with the surname Modi, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a predominantly Asian/Pacific Islander attribution. In 2000, about 86.16% of people with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, with this percentage growing to 90.57% by 2010. A substantial decrease of 70.04% was observed in those identifying with two or more races, falling from 5.64% in 2000 to 1.69% in 2010. The percentage of people with the Modi surname who identify as White also declined by 43.17%, while those identifying as Black witnessed a drastic increase of 297.33% over the same period. The proportions of Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native identities showed minor variations.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander86.16%90.57%5.12%
White6.44%3.66%-43.17%
Black0.75%2.98%297.33%
Two or More Races5.64%1.69%-70.04%
Hispanic0.59%0.75%27.12%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.43%0.36%-16.28%