Explore the Family Name Ramanathan

The meaning of Ramanathan

Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): from a personal name derived from Sanskrit rāmanātha ‘lord Rama’, from rāma ‘pleasing, charming’ (see Ram) + nātha ‘lord’, + 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 Ramesh, Mohan, Gopal, Ganesan, Janaki, Krishna, Kumar, Murali, Ram, Sriram, Swaminathan, Anuradha.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ramanathan has substantially grown in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Ramanathan was ranked 35,153rd most common surname and by the year 2010, it had risen to the 22,194th place, signifying a change of 36.86%. Likewise, the count of individuals with this surname showed an impressive increase of 91.6%, from 607 in 2000 to 1,163 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also experienced growth, going up by 69.57% from 0.23 in 2000 to 0.39 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#35,153#22,19436.86%
Count6071,16391.6%
Proportion per 100k0.230.3969.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ramanathan

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Ramanathan, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of those bearing this surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. There was a slight increase of 0.96% in this group from 95.55% in 2000 to 96.47% in 2010. On the other hand, those identifying as belonging to two or more races saw a significant decrease of 74.03%, from 2.31% in 2000 to 0.60% in 2010. Those identifying as White saw an increase of 35.76% over the same period. No individuals with this surname identified as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either of the years surveyed.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander95.55%96.47%0.96%
White1.65%2.24%35.76%
Two or More Races2.31%0.6%-74.03%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%