Hong
A Chinese name meaning vast, abundant, or prosperous.
Name Census estimates that about 600 living Americans carry the first name Hong. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 69.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Hong today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hong births was 1982 (66 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hong. 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.
People living today
600
~ 1 in 571,257 Americans
Peak year
1982
66 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2006 SSA rank
#9,020
Tracked since 1923
Gender
Gender distribution for Hong
Hong is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 648 total registrations, 198 (30.6%) were male and 450 (69.4%) were female.
Hong as a male name
- Ranked #9,020 in 2006
- 8 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1982 (20 births)
Hong as a female name
- Ranked #14,162 in 2001
- 6 female births in 2001
- Peak: 1982 (46 births)
Popularity
Hong: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hong from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 378 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hong 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 Hong during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hongs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Hong, while Louisiana, Texas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hong
The name Hong has its origins in the Chinese language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "hong," which means "vast" or "great." The name is believed to have emerged during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), which was a prosperous and influential period in Chinese history.
Hong was a popular name among the Chinese nobility and imperial families. It was often given to sons in the hope that they would grow up to achieve greatness and make significant contributions to society. The name appeared in various historical records and ancient texts from this era, including the "Book of Han" and the "Records of the Grand Historian."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hong was Hong Gong (200 BC – 130 BC), a prominent philosopher and poet during the Han Dynasty. He was known for his works on Confucianism and his influence on the development of Chinese literature.
Another notable figure was Hong Xiuquan (1814 – 1864), a Christian convert and leader of the Taiping Rebellion, one of the bloodiest civil wars in Chinese history. Despite his controversial legacy, he played a significant role in shaping the course of 19th-century China.
In the realm of art and culture, Hong Yi (1880 – 1942) was a renowned Chinese painter and calligrapher who made significant contributions to the development of modern Chinese art. His works were heavily influenced by traditional Chinese aesthetics and techniques.
In more recent times, Hong Lim Park in Singapore is named after Hong Lim (1835 – 1917), a Chinese merchant and community leader who donated the land for the park's establishment. The park has become an important venue for public speeches and events in the city-state.
Another individual worth mentioning is Hong Ren (1932 – 2022), a celebrated Chinese filmmaker and actor. He directed several critically acclaimed films, including "The Herdsman" and "The Displaced Person," which explored themes of rural life and cultural traditions in China.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Hong throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of Chinese culture and society.
People
Hong + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hong as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hong: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hong?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 600 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hong 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 571,257 US residents.
Is Hong a common name?
We classify Hong as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 648 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hong most popular?
The single biggest year for Hong was 1982, when 66 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hong is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hong a female name?
Yes, 69.4% of people registered as Hong in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.