Explore the Family Name Varanasi

The meaning of Varanasi

Indian: habitational name from the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Varanasi has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 99,725 in terms of commonality, but by 2010, it had jumped to a ranking of 55,121—an approximately 45% increase in rank. The actual count of people carrying the Varanasi surname also skyrocketed during this period, from 168 in 2000 to 373 in 2010, marking a remarkable 122% rise. Similarly, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 population nearly doubled from 0.06 to 0.13, indicating its growing prevalence.

20002010Change
Rank#99,725#55,12144.73%
Count168373122.02%
Proportion per 100k0.060.13116.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Varanasi

On the front of ethnic identity, most bearers of the surname Varanasi identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. This demographic constituted 90.48% of the Varanasis in 2000 and rose slightly to 94.37% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying with two or more races fell drastically from 5.95% to 2.14%, while Whites also reduced from 3.57% to 1.88%. There were no holders of the Varanasi surname who identified as Hispanic or Black in either year. Interestingly, there was an appearance of American Indian and Alaskan Native identification within the Varanasi surname bearers in 2010, which was not observed in 2000.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander90.48%94.37%4.3%
Two or More Races5.95%2.14%-64.03%
White3.57%1.88%-47.34%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%1.34%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%