Bang
An uncommon name of English origin relating to a sudden explosive sound.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Bang. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bang today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bang births was 1983 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bang. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bang. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1983
5 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1983 SSA rank
#6,329
Tracked since 1983
Census
Bang in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,578 people with the first name Bang, which placed it at #8,990 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,990
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,578 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
97.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bang
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bang is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bang described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Bang at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.4% · 1,537
- White1.0% · 16
- Two or more races0.8% · 12
- Black or African American0.7% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Bang: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bang by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bang during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bang
The given name Bang has its origins in the Thai language and culture, dating back to the ancient kingdoms of the region. It is believed to be derived from the Old Thai word "pang," which means "to split" or "to divide." This linguistic root suggests that the name may have initially been associated with strength, power, or the ability to overcome obstacles.
In the early historical records of Thailand, the name Bang appears in various inscriptions and manuscripts from the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, spanning the 13th to the 18th centuries. Some of these ancient texts include mentions of individuals bearing the name, though their specific roles or accomplishments are often unclear.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bang was a renowned Buddhist monk who lived during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 16th century. Known as Bang Phra Nai, he was highly respected for his wisdom and teachings, and his legacy is still celebrated in certain regions of Thailand today.
Another notable figure associated with the name Bang was a military commander who served under King Narai of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 17th century. His name was Bang Rajan, and he played a pivotal role in defending the kingdom against foreign invaders during a period of intense conflict.
In the 19th century, a prominent Thai scholar and writer named Bang Chan emerged as a influential figure in the literary and cultural circles of the time. His works, which covered a wide range of topics from history to poetry, continue to be studied and appreciated by academics and literary enthusiasts.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the name Bang was Bang Khun Phrom, a celebrated Thai boxer and martial artist. Born in 1904, he was widely regarded as a master of the traditional Thai boxing style known as Muay Thai, and his techniques and teachings have had a lasting impact on the sport.
Another notable figure from the 20th century was Bang Rajan Chaiyan, a prominent Thai architect and urban planner. Born in 1928, he was instrumental in shaping the modern landscape of Bangkok and other major cities in Thailand through his innovative and sustainable design principles.
These examples illustrate the rich historical significance and cultural relevance of the given name Bang within the Thai context, spanning various fields and eras, from religious and military figures to scholars, artists, and architects.
People
Bang + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bang as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bang: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bang?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bang going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Bang a common name?
We classify Bang as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bang most popular?
The single biggest year for Bang was 1983, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bang is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bang in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,578 people with the name Bang, or 0.52 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,990 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Bang in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bang?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Bang on both sides of the split. Of the 1,573 people counted with this name, 1,150 were male (73.1%) and 423 were female (26.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bang?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bang is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Bang most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Bang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (1,537 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bang in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bang a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bang in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bang still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bang in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bang can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Bang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.