Explore the Family Name Ranganathan
The meaning of Ranganathan
Indian (Kerala, Tamil Nadu): from a personal name derived from Sanskrit ranganātha ‘lord of mirth’ (from ranga ‘mirth’ + nātha ‘lord’), an epithet of the god Krishna, + 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 Murali, Vijay, Indira, Srikanth, Ganesh, Giri, Kala, Madhavan, Sridhar, Anand, Chitra, Devika.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ranganathan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ranganathan has grown in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked 48,963rd in terms of prevalence but jumped to 30,825th by 2010, reflecting a significant increase of 37.04%. Accompanied by this rise in rank is an impressive 86.88% spike in count from 404 to 755 individuals bearing the name Ranganathan, causing its proportion per 100,000 people to rise by 73.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #48,963 | #30,825 | 37.04% |
| Count | 404 | 755 | 86.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.15 | 0.26 | 73.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ranganathan
On the ethnicity front, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Ranganathan identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, a figure that remains relatively stable between 2000 and 2010 (97.52% to 96.82%). The data also reflects a slight diversification in ethnic identity over this period. In 2010, there were small percentages of individuals who identified as belonging to two or more races (1.72%) and White (1.19%). No individuals identified as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian/Alaskan Native during these census periods.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 97.52% | 96.82% | -0.72% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 1.72% | 0% |
| White | 0% | 1.19% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |