In 1800, the population of the island of Sri Lanka was approximately 1.2 million. This figure would begin to grow following the island’s complete annexation into the British Empire with the end of the Second Kandyan War in 1815. Population growth then increased much faster towards the end of the 19th century, as child mortality rates dropped and large numbers of Indian migrants were imported to work on British plantations. These migrants were largely Tamil migrants from southern India, and by 1911, this group would make up almost 13 percent of the island’s population (on top of the existing 13 percent Sri Lankan Tamil population).

Population growth would expand rapidly in the years immediately following the island’s independence from the British Empire in 1948. However, this growth would slow in the 1950s, as legislation passed by the Sinhalese-dominated government immediately following independence resulted in the removal of citizenship for an estimated 700,000 Indian Tamils, and the deportation of over 300,000 to India over the following three decades. Growth would slow even further after the ethnic clashes of Black July in 1983, which marked the beginning of a civil war in Sri Lanka which would last from 1983 to 2009 and result in the death of over 80,000 people, and the displacement of an estimated 800,000. However, since the end of the civil war in 2009, the population of Sri Lanka has continued to grow, and in 2020, the population of Sri Lanka is estimated to be over 21 million.

ශ ර ල ක ව ප රව ස භ වය සහ ත ද මල ජ ත යට අයත ජනත ව ශ ර ල ක ක ද මළ ජනත ව ද මළ இலங க தம ழர ඉල ග ය තම ලර හ ද මළ ஈழத தம ழர ඉල

A nation rich in culture and history, Sri Lanka is home to a variety of Sinhalese and Tamil surnames that reflect the diversity of its population. With each surname, a story is told that evokes traditions, lineages and often the heritage of entire communities. From ancient roots to modernity, these Sri Lankan surnames are not only personal identifiers, but also symbols of the cultural identity that the Sri Lankan carry with pride. In this article, we will explore some of the most common surnames in Sri Lanka, offering an insight into how these names have evolved and their meaning to the Sri Lankan people.