How common is the surname Chowdhury?

11,961 people in the United States had the surname Chowdhury in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 25,813 Americans. It ranked 2,997th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Chowdhury?

Shefali Chowdhury, British actress, followed by Abu Sayeed Chowdhury.

Where is the surname Chowdhury most common?

Wikidata records people named Chowdhury in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.

Is the surname Chowdhury getting more or less common?

More common. 5,765 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,961 in 2010, up 108%.

What are other spellings of Chowdhury?

Choudhary, Choudhry and Choudhury.

The surname Chowdhury

A Bengali surname, carried by 11,961 people in the United States.

3 syllables Soundex C360

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Chowdhury is more common than 98.2% of them.

Origin

Bengali origin

Borrowed from Bengali চৌধুরি (cōudhuri).

One of 21 Bengali surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 11,961 people named Chowdhury in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 25,813 Americans. That is up 108% since 2000, when the Census counted 5,765.

#2,997

rank among US surnames

11,961

people in 2010

4.0

per 100,000 Americans

+107.5%

change since 2000 (was #5,539)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,988	Christman	11,987	25,757
#2,989	Brink	11,982	25,767
#2,990	Herr	11,980	25,772
#2,991	Falk	11,979	25,774
#2,992	Beverly	11,978	25,776
#2,993	Wylie	11,975	25,783
#2,994	Fallon	11,974	25,785

Who is named Chowdhury

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

94% of people named Chowdhury identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% as two or more races and 2.2% as white (not Hispanic).

Asian and Pacific Islander 94%
Two or more races 2.4%
White (not Hispanic) 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Chowdhurys

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Shefali Chowdhury
British actress, born 1988
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury
Bangladeshi jurist and politician (1921–1987)
A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury
Bengali statesman, public servant and judge (1915–2001)
Najma Chowdhury
Bangladeshi academic, 1942–2021
Kabir Chowdhury
Bangladeshi academic and writer, 1923–2011
Matia Chowdhury
Bangladeshi politician, 1942–2024
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury
Bangladeshi politician, 1949–2015
Anwara Bahar Chowdhury
Bangladeshi social activist and writer, 1919–1987

Notable Chowdhurys come mostly from Bangladesh (3), Pakistan (3) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Chowdhury

Chowdhury has the Soundex code C360, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C360.

Other Bengali surnames

All 21 Bengali surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Chowdhury come from?: Borrowed from Bengali চৌধুরি (cōudhuri).
How common is the surname Chowdhury?: 11,961 people in the United States had the surname Chowdhury in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 25,813 Americans. It ranked 2,997th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Chowdhury?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Chowdhury identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 2.4% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Chowdhury?: Shefali Chowdhury, British actress, followed by Abu Sayeed Chowdhury.
Where is the surname Chowdhury most common?: Wikidata records people named Chowdhury in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
Is the surname Chowdhury getting more or less common?: More common. 5,765 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,961 in 2010, up 108%.
What are other spellings of Chowdhury?: Choudhary, Choudhry and Choudhury.