Eng
A diminutive of the English name Angela or the Norwegian name Inga.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Eng. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eng today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eng births was 1982 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eng. 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 Eng. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1982
5 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1982 SSA rank
#6,659
Tracked since 1982
Census
Eng in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 716 people with the first name Eng, which placed it at #15,916 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
#15,916
National first-name rank
People counted
716
716 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eng
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eng is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Hispanic (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 Eng 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 Eng at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.9% · 694
- White1.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 6
- Two or more races0.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Eng: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Eng 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 Eng 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 Eng
The name Eng has its origins in Old Norse, the language spoken by the Vikings and Scandinavian people during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Norse word "engr," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have been used to identify individuals who lived or worked near such areas.
Eng was a common name among the Norse people, particularly in Norway and parts of Sweden and Denmark. It is believed to have first appeared in written records as early as the 9th century AD, during the height of the Viking Age.
While there are no direct references to the name Eng in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was mentioned in some of the Norse sagas or historical accounts of the time. However, these records are often fragmentary and difficult to verify with certainty.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Eng was Eng Eriksson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the late 10th century. He was known for his participation in various battles and raids during the tumultuous period of the Viking Age.
Another notable figure was Eng Magnusson, a Norwegian explorer who is believed to have joined the expedition of Leif Eriksson to Vinland (present-day Newfoundland) around the year 1000 AD. His name appears in the Icelandic sagas, which recount the Norse voyages to North America.
In the 12th century, Eng Svendsen was a prominent Norwegian nobleman and landowner. He was involved in various political disputes and conflicts during his lifetime, and his name is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles.
During the 13th century, Eng Arnesen was a respected Norwegian clergyman and scholar. He is credited with writing several treatises on theology and philosophy, which were influential in his time.
Lastly, Eng Håkonsson was a Norwegian military commander who lived in the 14th century. He played a significant role in the ongoing wars and conflicts between Norway and Sweden during this period, and his exploits were recorded in various historical accounts.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Eng. While the name has fallen out of common use in modern times, it holds a rich heritage and connection to the Norse culture and traditions.
People
Eng + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eng as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eng: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eng?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eng 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 Eng a common name?
We classify Eng 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 Eng most popular?
The single biggest year for Eng was 1982, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eng is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eng in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 716 people with the name Eng, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,916 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 Eng 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 Eng?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Eng on both sides of the split. Of the 714 people counted with this name, 297 were male (41.6%) and 417 were female (58.4%). 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 Eng?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eng is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Hispanic (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 Eng most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Eng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (694 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 Eng in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eng a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eng 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 Eng still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eng 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 Eng 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 Eng?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.