2000
#11,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Ang
A Chinese surname meaning "prosperous" or "flourishing," or referring to someone from the state of Ang in ancient China.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,327 Americans carry the last name Ang. That puts it at #8,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,213 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ang surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,213
Census rank
#8,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,773 bearers of the surname Ang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ang
The surname "Ang" is believed to have originated in China, and can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese word "安" which means "peace" or "tranquility". The name was initially used to denote someone who lived in a peaceful or harmonious manner, or in a peaceful location.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Ang" can be found in historical records from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), where it was primarily used in the regions around modern-day Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Ong" or "Ong'an", reflecting the variations in regional dialects and calligraphic styles.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname "Ang" was Ang Tsz-chi, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). He is best known for his influential works on the art of calligraphy, which were widely studied and emulated by later generations of scholars and artists.
Another prominent individual with the surname "Ang" was Ang Seng, a Singaporean businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1892 to 1963. He was a successful entrepreneur and a significant contributor to various charitable causes, including the establishment of educational institutions and healthcare facilities in Singapore.
In ancient Chinese texts, the name "Ang" is sometimes associated with the concept of "internal peace" or "inner tranquility". This connection is evident in the writings of the famous philosopher Lao Tzu, who emphasized the importance of finding peace within oneself as a path to enlightenment.
During the Tang Dynasty, the village of Ang'an (安安村) in Zhejiang Province was known for its peaceful and harmonious way of life. It is possible that some early bearers of the surname "Ang" may have originated from this village or the surrounding areas, thus inheriting the name and its connotations of peace and tranquility.
Other notable historical figures bearing the surname "Ang" include Ang Lee, the acclaimed Taiwanese film director known for movies such as "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi", and Ang Huai Li, a prominent Singaporean artist and cultural medallion recipient who played a significant role in promoting traditional Chinese art forms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ang
Among Census respondents with the surname Ang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ang bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.2% · 3,216
- White5.6% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 169
- Two or more races4.2% · 157
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ang
Ang appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,413
+851 bearers (+33.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 1,792 places
2020
#8,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,773
+360 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 1,118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,317 | 2,562 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,525 | 3,413 | 1.16 | +851 bearers (+33.2%) | Up 1,792 places |
| 2020 | #8,407 | 3,773 | 1.26 | +360 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,118 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ang surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,525 | #8,407 | 11.7% |
| Count | 3,413 | 3,773 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.26 | 8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ang bearers went from 3,413 to 3,773 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 1,118 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,525 to #8,407.
FAQ
Ang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ang?
Name Census estimates that about 4,327 living Americans carry the surname Ang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,213 residents.
How common is Ang?
Ang ranks #8,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,773 people with the surname Ang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ang.
Has Ang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ang went from 3,413 recorded bearers to 3,773. That is an increase of 360 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,525 to #8,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Ang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (3,216 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.2%), White (5.6%), Hispanic (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ang (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "prosperous" or "flourishing," or referring to someone from the state of Ang in ancient China. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ang (1.26 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Ang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.