Explore the Family Name Ramachandran

The meaning of Ramachandran

Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): from a personal name composed of Rama (name of one of the chief incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu; see Ram) + Sanskrit čandra ‘pleasant, shining; moon’ (see Chandra) + 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 Ravi, Anand, Bala, Subramanian, Narayanan, Ram, Sridhar, Vijay, Ajit, Anush, Dileep, Geetha.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Ramachandran has seen a substantial increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 22,011 in terms of prevalence but it rose significantly by 34.54% to reach a rank of 14,409 in 2010. The number of people with this surname also almost doubled during this period, increasing from 1,098 to 2,074, representing an impressive growth of 88.89%. The proportion per 100,000 people grew by 70.73%, from 0.41 to 0.7, indicating that the surname Ramachandran became more widespread within the U.S. population during this decade.

20002010Change
Rank#22,011#14,40934.54%
Count1,0982,07488.89%
Proportion per 100k0.410.770.73%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ramachandran

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Ramachandran identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group made up 94.99% of all instances in 2000, and they continued to represent the vast majority (95.66%) in 2010, showing a slight increase of 0.71%. The percentage of people identifying as two or more races decreased by 38.30%, from 2.82% to 1.74%. The proportion of those identifying as White also diminished, dropping from 1.91% to 1.64%, a decrease of 14.14%. Meanwhile, new categories emerged in 2010, with Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities making up 0.24%, 0.29%, and 0.43% respectively of those bearing the Ramachandran surname.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander94.99%95.66%0.71%
Two or More Races2.82%1.74%-38.3%
White1.91%1.64%-14.14%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.43%0%
Black0%0.29%0%
Hispanic0%0.24%0%