Explore the Family Name Vaishnav

The meaning of Vaishnav

Indian: Brahmin name found among the Bairagi community, from Sanskrit meaning ‘follower of Vishnu’.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Vaishnav has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 134,037, but by 2010, it had climbed to 85,357, marking an impressive rise of 36.32%. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname nearly doubled from 116 in 2000 to 219 in 2010, reflecting a growth rate of 88.79%. The proportion per 100,000 people also rose from 0.04 to 0.07, a spike of 75%.

20002010Change
Rank#134,037#85,35736.32%
Count11621988.79%
Proportion per 100k0.040.0775%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vaishnav

The ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Vaishnav identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. In 2000, 94.83% of Vaishnavs identified as such, and this percentage increased slightly to 96.35% by 2010. The number of those identifying as White decreased by 25.75%, dropping from 4.31% in 2000 to just 3.20% in 2010. There were no recorded instances of those with the Vaishnav surname identifying as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander94.83%96.35%1.6%
White4.31%3.2%-25.75%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%