Explore the Family Name Shukla

The meaning of Shukla

Indian (northern states): Brahmin name, from Sanskrit šukla ‘white, bright, pure’. A Shukla Brahmin was supposed to take up only shuklavritti ‘pure employment’, i.e. subsistence derived from serving or begging from only Brahmins. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Sanjay, Vinay, Amit, Pankaj, Rajiv, Ashish, Deepak, Dilip, Harshad, Jyoti, Ram, Shyam.

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

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

The surname Shukla has seen a significant rise in popularity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, Shukla ranked 15,252 in terms of surname popularity, but by 2010, it had jumped significantly to rank 10,159, marking a 33.39 percent increase. The number of people with this surname also grew from 1,770 in 2000 to 3,176 in 2010, a substantial 79.44 percent increase. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Shukla per 100,000 people increased by 63.64 percent over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#15,252#10,15933.39%
Count1,7703,17679.44%
Proportion per 100k0.661.0863.64%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shukla

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the vast majority of people with the surname Shukla identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group made up 92.66 percent of all Shuklas in 2000 and rose slightly to 94.58 percent in 2010. The percentage of people identifying as two or more races declined significantly from 4.01 percent in 2000 to 1.92 percent in 2010. Those identifying as white decreased marginally by 6.80 percent while those identifying as Black remained relatively uncommon at 0.38 percent in 2010. There was no recorded change for those identifying as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander92.66%94.58%2.07%
White2.94%2.74%-6.8%
Two or More Races4.01%1.92%-52.12%
Black0%0.38%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Shukla 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 Shukla is Northern Indian & Pakistani, which comprises 83.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Bengali & Northeast Indian (4.1%) and Southern Indian Subgroup (4.0%). Additional ancestries include Southern Indian & Sri Lankan, British & Irish, Chinese, Gujarati Patidar, and Central Asian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Northern Indian & Pakistani83.6%
Bengali & Northeast Indian4.1%
Southern Indian Subgroup4.0%
Other8.3%
Shukla

Possible origins of the surname Shukla

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 Shukla have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in India, and Pakistan.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Uttar Pradesh, India13.20%
Maharashtra, India10.50%
Punjab, India9.20%
Karnataka, India9.20%
Gujarat, India9.20%

What Shukla 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 Shukla is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Shukla surname are: M, U2, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

shuklaPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

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 Shukla 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

Shukla

Vegetarian

Abstains from consuming meat, fish, and poultry, and typically follows a plant-based diet.

"Shukla" Surname 40.0%

23andMe Users 3.6%

Habits

Shukla

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Shukla" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Shukla

Migraine

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

"Shukla" Surname 12.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Shukla?

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 Shukla 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%