Rao
A surname often linked to an Indian title or honorific, especially in western and central India.
The #3,075 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,452 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In South Asian use, Rao is commonly explained as a title of respect rather than a descriptive word surname. It is associated with Indo-Aryan and Dravidian naming traditions and is often related to forms used for a ruler, lord, or respected man, sometimes functioning as both a hereditary surname and a title. In some communities it became a fixed family name over time.
History
Rao has long been used as a title and personal designation in parts of India, especially in western and central regions, and later became hereditary in many families. British-era records often treat it as part of Indian aristocratic or rank-based naming. In modern diaspora use, it appears widely as a surname across South Asia and abroad.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In historical records, Rao could function more like a title of status than a surname, which is why it sometimes appears attached to a given name in older documents.
From the historical record
“for a cat, Cuddy (Cutbbert) for a ' Rao Colie oar dogge, aod Talbot, and Gerkwd.' CCawxr, C. T. ts^&. WilteJmu Talbot, 1379 : P. T. Yoriw.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named Rao
- Rajinikanth (b. 1950)
- Amrita Rao (b. 1981)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.