Explore the Family Name Raj
The meaning of Raj
1. Indian (northern and southern states): from a personal name based on Sanskrit rājā ‘king’. In the northern states, it probably evolved into a surname from use as the final element of a compound personal name such as Prithviraj ‘king of the earth’. Among Tamil and Malayalam speakers who have migrated from their home states, it is a variant of Rajan. — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 2. Polish: nickname from raj ‘heaven, paradise’ or a derivative of the verb raić ‘to pander’. 3. Slovenian: probably a nickname from raj ‘heaven, paradise’. Compare Ray. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Ashok, Dev, Hem, Mohan, Prithvi, Suresh, Anil, Dharam, Rishi, Alok, Atul, Bali.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Raj in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Raj has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Raj was ranked as the 17,935th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had risen to the 11,728th spot, representing an impressive change of 34.61 percent. The number of people bearing this surname more than doubled in this period, with a count of 1,437 in 2000 soaring to 2,672 in 2010, marking a striking 85.94 percent increase. The proportion of individuals named Raj per 100,000 residents also grew by 71.7 percent, from 0.53 in 2000 to 0.91 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,935 | #11,728 | 34.61% |
| Count | 1,437 | 2,672 | 85.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.53 | 0.91 | 71.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Raj
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Raj also saw some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of people with this last name identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, increasing from 77.45 percent in 2000 to 82.37 percent in 2010. The percentage of those identifying with two or more races decreased slightly from 8.77 percent to 7.52 percent. The proportion of individuals identifying as White fell by 33.24 percent, while those identifying as Black dropped by 48.5 percent. Meanwhile, there was a new appearance in the dataset: Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities emerged, accounting for 1.53 and 0.60 percent respectively in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 77.45% | 82.37% | 6.35% |
| Two or More Races | 8.77% | 7.52% | -14.25% |
| White | 10.65% | 7.11% | -33.24% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.53% | 0% |
| Black | 1.67% | 0.86% | -48.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.6% | 0% |