Pang
A Chinese masculine name representing the ideas of stability and sustenance.
Name Census estimates that about 595 living Americans carry the first name Pang. It is a predominantly female name (98.2% of registrations). The average person named Pang today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pang births was 1990 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pang. 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
595
~ 1 in 576,058 Americans
Peak year
1990
45 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1990 SSA rank
#8,649
Tracked since 1978
Gender
Gender distribution for Pang
Pang leans heavily female at 98.2% of total registrations, but 11 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Pang as a male name
- Ranked #9,126 in 1990
- 5 male births in 1990
- Peak: 1986 (6 births)
Pang as a female name
- Ranked #8,649 in 1999
- 11 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1984 (44 births)
Popularity
Pang: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pang from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 368 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Pang remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pang 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 Pang during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pangs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Pang, while Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 97 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pang
The name Pang has its origins in the Chinese language and culture, with its earliest known usage dating back to ancient times. The word "pang" in Mandarin Chinese means "prosperous" or "flourishing," which suggests that the name was likely given to children with the hope of a prosperous life.
In ancient Chinese texts, the name Pang can be found in historical records and literary works from as early as the Warring States period (475–221 BC). One notable example is the philosopher Pang Tong, who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD) and is renowned for his strategic wisdom and contributions to the art of warfare.
The name Pang also appears in Buddhist scriptures, particularly in the context of Zen Buddhism. The famous Zen master Pang Yun (740-808 AD), also known as Pangyun, was a renowned figure in the Tang Dynasty and is credited with establishing the Hongzhou school of Zen Buddhism.
Throughout Chinese history, there have been several notable figures bearing the name Pang. One such individual was Pang Xuan (585-676 AD), a prominent scholar and calligrapher during the Tang Dynasty. Another was Pang Anshi (1042-1099 AD), a renowned literary theorist and poet of the Song Dynasty.
In more recent times, the name Pang has been carried by individuals such as Pang Qingming (1692-1765), a renowned landscape painter of the Qing Dynasty, and Pang Zhonglie (1639-1708), a prominent military strategist and general during the same period.
It is worth noting that while the name Pang has its roots in Chinese culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Chinese diaspora populations.
People
Pang + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pang as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pang: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pang?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 595 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pang 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 576,058 US residents.
Is Pang a common name?
We classify Pang 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, 626 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pang most popular?
The single biggest year for Pang was 1990, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pang is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pang a female name?
Yes, 98.2% of people registered as Pang 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.