Explore the Family Name Nagarajan
The meaning of Nagarajan
Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): from a personal name derived from Sanskrit nāgarāja ‘serpent king’ (from nāga ‘serpent, cobra’ + rāja ‘king’), an epithet of the serpent king Shesha, + 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 Raj, Gopalan, Krishna, Sivakumar, Sundar, Ashok, Bala, Ganesh, Gopal, Kasturi, Krishnaswamy, Kumar.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Nagarajan in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Nagarajan has seen a significant rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, this surname was ranked 47,485 but jumped to 25,272 by 2010, a change of approximately 46.78%. The number of individuals with this surname also increased from 420 in 2000 to 980 in 2010, representing a 133.33% growth. The proportion of people with the surname Nagarajan per 100,000 citizens in the U.S. more than doubled during this period, escalating from 0.16 to 0.33.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #47,485 | #25,272 | 46.78% |
| Count | 420 | 980 | 133.33% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.33 | 106.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nagarajan
When it comes to the ethnic identity of those holding the surname Nagarajan, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that the majority identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. In 2000, this group made up 92.62% of all Nagarajans and this percentage rose slightly to 95.51% by 2010. The second most prevalent ethnicity, those identifying with two or more races, saw a drop from 4.76% to 1.84% over the same period. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as White showed a modest increase from 2.14% to 2.55%. There were no recorded changes for those identifying as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 92.62% | 95.51% | 3.12% |
| White | 2.14% | 2.55% | 19.16% |
| Two or More Races | 4.76% | 1.84% | -61.34% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |