Name Rarity Checker

Surname Rarity Checker / How rare is Patel

How Rare Is the Last Name Patel?

Patel is the 95th most common surname in the United States. About 229,973 Americans carry it, which works out to roughly 1 in 1,155 people, or 0.0866% of the population. That is a common surname, though far from the top of the list. Here is the full picture from the Census surname file, plus a card you can save and share.

NAME RARITY CHECKERPatelCOMMONIN THE 2010 U.S. CENSUS1 in 1,155people share this last name95th most common surname in the U.S.229,973 people countednameraritychecker.com
Rarity
1 in 1,155
Tier
Common
U.S. rank
95th
Share of people
0.0866%
People named
229,973
Source
Census 2010

Based on the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 surname file, which counts 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames held by 100 or more people.

Where the surname Patel comes from

Patel comes from a Gujarati word for a village headman or landholder, originally a title rather than a family name. It is heavily represented in the Indian diaspora, particularly in Britain, East Africa, and the United States.

Want to check a different last name? Try the surname rarity checker. Last names are only half the picture: the first-name rarity checker runs the same math on given names, and how common is my name combines the two.

Frequently asked questions

How rare is the last name Patel?
Patel is in the Common tier. About 1 in 1,155 Americans share it, which is 0.0866% of the population, and it ranks 95th of all U.S. surnames. In total 229,973 people carried it in the 2010 Census.
Is Patel a rare last name?
No. Patel is a well-established surname rather than a rare one. It is in the Common tier, ranked 95th of all U.S. surnames, with about 1 in 1,155 Americans sharing it.
How common is the surname Patel?
About 1 in 1,155 Americans carry the surname Patel, which is 0.0866% of the population and 95th of all U.S. surnames. That places it in the Common tier.
How many people have the last name Patel?
229,973 people in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's 2010 surname file, which counted 265,667,228 people across 162,253 surnames.
Where does the surname Patel come from?
Patel comes from a Gujarati word for a village headman or landholder, originally a title rather than a family name. It is heavily represented in the Indian diaspora, particularly in Britain, East Africa, and the United States.

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