Ng
Of Chinese origin, signifying radiance, brightness, or prosperity.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ng. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ng today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ng births was 1885 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ng. 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 Ng. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1885
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1885 SSA rank
#1,046
Tracked since 1885
Census
Ng in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 170 people with the first name Ng, which placed it at #42,346 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
#42,346
National first-name rank
People counted
170
170 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
59.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ng
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ng is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.4%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Black (9.4%). 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 Ng 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 Ng at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander59.4% · 101
- White19.4% · 33
- Black or African American9.4% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 13
- Two or more races2.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 3
Popularity
Ng: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ng 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 Ng during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ng
The given name Ng originated from Chinese languages and cultures. It dates back to ancient times, with roots in words related to farming and agriculture. The earliest forms of the name were likely pronounced similarly to the modern Ng, but were represented by different characters in ancient Chinese writing systems.
Ng was a relatively common name among peasants and farmers in various regions of ancient China. Some historical records suggest it may have been associated with certain clans or villages known for their agricultural prowess. However, specific details on the name's etymology and early usage are limited due to the vast time period involved.
In terms of notable historical figures with the name Ng, one of the earliest recorded examples is Ng Tze-Chung, a philosopher and writer who lived during the Warring States period of ancient China (around the 5th century BCE). His works explored ethical and moral principles, and he is considered an influential figure in the development of early Chinese thought.
Another significant historical figure was Ng Mui, a Shaolin Buddhist nun who is credited as one of the legendary founders of the martial art Wing Chun. She is believed to have lived during the late 17th or early 18th century in the Guangdong region of China. Her teachings and techniques were influential in the spread of Wing Chun throughout southern China and beyond.
In more recent history, Ng Mun-hin (1906-1982) was a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Ng Teng Fong Group, a successful conglomerate, and made significant contributions to education and social welfare initiatives in Hong Kong.
Another notable individual was Ng Yu-kun (1914-1997), a Chinese writer and scholar known for his works on classical Chinese literature and philosophy. He served as a professor at several prestigious universities in China and Taiwan and was widely respected for his academic contributions.
Additionally, Ng Wah (1913-1985) was a Chinese-American artist and calligrapher who played a significant role in promoting and preserving traditional Chinese art forms in the United States. His works were exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, and he received recognition for his efforts in cultural exchange and education.
People
Ng + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ng as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ng: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ng?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ng 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 - US residents.
Is Ng a common name?
We classify Ng as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Ng most popular?
The single biggest year for Ng was 1885, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ng is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ng in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 170 people with the name Ng, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,346 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 Ng 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 Ng?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ng on both sides of the split. Of the 169 people counted with this name, 74 were male (43.8%) and 95 were female (56.2%). 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 Ng?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ng is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.4%. The next largest groups are White (19.4%) and Black (9.4%). 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 Ng most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.4% (101 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 Ng in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ng a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ng 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 Ng still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ng 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 Ng 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 have the name Ng?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Ng on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.