Explore the Family Name Vaidya

The meaning of Vaidya

Indian (northern states): from a personal name from Sanskrit vaidya ‘scholar, physician’ (from Sanskrit vid- ‘to know’). This is the name of a clan of the Konkanastha Brahmins. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Mahesh, Manish, Subhash, Anil, Ashwini, Avinash, Bhasker, Hemant, Jitendra, Kiran, Kishor, Krishna.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Vaidya" has noticeably increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Vaidya ranked 26163 among all surnames with a count of 879, representing a proportion of 0.33 per 100k people in the U.S. However, by 2010, the rank had improved to 16848 with a total of 1694 individuals carrying the surname, thereby increasing the proportion to 0.57 per 100k people. This represents a significant growth of about 92.72% within a decade.

20002010Change
Rank#26,163#16,84835.6%
Count8791,69492.72%
Proportion per 100k0.330.5772.73%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vaidya

Further, the Decennial U.S. Census data also provides an insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Vaidya". In 2000, a vast majority (92.72%) of individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. This figure saw a marginal increase, reaching 94.10% by 2010. Notably, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races dropped from 3.41% to 1.71%, while the proportion of white individuals decreased slightly from 3.64% to 3.01%. Interestingly, there was no record of individuals with Hispanic or Black ethnicity carrying this surname in both years. However, a small percentage (0.71%) emerged in 2010 identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander92.72%94.1%1.49%
White3.64%3.01%-17.31%
Two or More Races3.41%1.71%-49.85%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.71%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%