Explore the Family Name Prasad

The meaning of Prasad

Indian (northern and southern states): from a personal name based on Sanskrit prasāda ‘favor, grace, offering, gift’. In the northern states, it probably evolved into a surname from use as the final element in compound personal namesIf such as Deviprasad, meaning ‘gift of a goddess’, or Jagannathprasad ‘gift of the lord of the world (i.e. Shiva)’. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Rajendra, Ram, Krishna, Anil, Jagdish, Sanjay, Hari, Narendra, Raj, Ajay, Anand, Rama.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Prasad has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Prasad was ranked 5172nd most common surname in the U.S., but it rose to 4107th by 2010, representing a change of about 20.59%. Likewise, the count of individuals with the surname Prasad also grew from 6212 in 2000 to 8638 in 2010, marking an increase of approximately 39.05%. The proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 people also grew from 2.3 in 2000 to 2.93 in 2010, an increase of around 27.39%.

20002010Change
Rank#5,172#4,10720.59%
Count6,2128,63839.05%
Proportion per 100k2.32.9327.39%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Prasad

The Decennial U.S. Census data on ethnicity indicates that the largest ethnic identity associated with the surname Prasad is Asian/Pacific Islander, which increased slightly from 77.08% in 2000 to 78.97% in 2010. This was followed by those identifying with two or more races, which decreased from 16.48% in 2000 to 13.21% in 2010. Meanwhile, the proportion of Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks with the surname Prasad saw increases of 18.52%, 26.67%, and 52.48% respectively. On the other hand, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Natives with this surname dropped from 0.69% in 2000 to 0.54% in 2010.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander77.08%78.97%2.45%
Two or More Races16.48%13.21%-19.84%
White3.24%3.84%18.52%
Hispanic1.5%1.9%26.67%
Black1.01%1.54%52.48%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.69%0.54%-21.74%

Prasad 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 Prasad is Northern Indian & Pakistani, which comprises 32.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Southern Indian & Sri Lankan (22.5%) and Bengali & Northeast Indian (17.6%). Additional ancestries include Southern Indian Subgroup, British & Irish, French & German, Malayali Subgroup, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Northern Indian & Pakistani32.6%
Southern Indian & Sri Lankan22.5%
Bengali & Northeast Indian17.6%
Other27.3%
Prasad

Possible origins of the surname Prasad

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 Prasad have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in India, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Tamil Nadu, India22.90%
Uttar Pradesh, India21.80%
Gujarat, India21.80%
Kerala, India20.60%
Andhra Pradesh, India17.60%

What Prasad 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 Prasad is R-Y7, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup R-Y7 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-Y6 and R-L266, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sharma, Singh, Das, Kumar, Malik, Persaud, Arora, Hussain, Joshi, Shah.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Prasad surname are: M, H, M30. These most commonly trace back to individuals of Central & South Asian and European ancestry.

prasadPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Prasad 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

Prasad

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Prasad" Surname 30.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Prasad

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Prasad" Surname 37.1%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Prasad

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Prasad" Surname 27.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Prasad

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Prasad" Surname 10.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Prasad?

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 Prasad are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Northern Indian & Pakistani 52.7%

23andMe Users 57.2%