2000
#7,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Bang
A surname referring to a loud, sudden noise or a Danish village where the family originated.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,249 Americans carry the last name Bang. That puts it at #7,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,299 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bang 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 Bang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,299
Census rank
#7,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,577 bearers of the surname Bang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bang
The surname Bang is of Danish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Danish word "bang," which means "a lump" or "a swelling." It is thought to have been originally a descriptive nickname given to someone with a distinctive physical feature, such as a protruding forehead or a bulging eye.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bang can be found in the Danish Census Records of 1660, where a person named Hans Bang is listed as a resident of Copenhagen. The name also appears in various church records and parish registers from the 17th and 18th centuries in various parts of Denmark.
In the 19th century, the surname Bang was particularly prevalent in the regions of Jutland and Zealand in Denmark. Some notable individuals with this surname from this period include the Danish botanist Niels Bang (1776-1834), who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy, and the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Bang (1789-1877), whose works can be found in several museums and public spaces across Denmark.
The surname Bang has also been found in historical records from other parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and Norway. In Germany, there are records of individuals with the surname Bang dating back to the 17th century, possibly indicating that the name may have spread from Denmark to other parts of Northern Europe.
Another notable individual with the surname Bang was the Norwegian physicist Olaus Bang (1621-1691), who made important contributions to the field of optics and is credited with the discovery of the phenomenon known as the "Barfus Bang Lens."
As the surname Bang spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, it has been associated with several notable individuals. For example, Herman Bang (1857-1912) was a Danish novelist and playwright who was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as Naturalism. Jørgen Bang-Jensen (1920-2014) was a Danish mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of graph theory.
It is important to note that while the surname Bang has its roots in Denmark and has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, it has also been adopted and used by people of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bang
Among Census respondents with the surname Bang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bang 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 Bang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander67.2% · 3,074
- White27.7% · 1,266
- Two or more races1.9% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 70
- Black or African American1.4% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bang
Bang 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
#7,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,676
+699 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Up 562 places
2020
#7,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,577
-99 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,715 | 3,977 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,153 | 4,676 | 1.59 | +699 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 562 places |
| 2020 | #7,062 | 4,577 | 1.53 | -99 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 91 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 Bang 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 | #7,153 | #7,062 | 1.3% |
| Count | 4,676 | 4,577 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.53 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bang bearers went from 4,676 to 4,577 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,153 to #7,062.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bang
FAQ
Bang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bang?
Name Census estimates that about 5,249 living Americans carry the surname Bang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,299 residents.
How common is Bang?
Bang ranks #7,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,577 people with the surname Bang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bang.
Has Bang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bang went from 4,676 recorded bearers to 4,577. That is a decrease of 99 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,153 to #7,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Bang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.2%. The next largest groups are White (27.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (3,074 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (67.2%), White (27.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Bang (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 Bang mean?
A surname referring to a loud, sudden noise or a Danish village where the family originated. 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 Bang (1.53 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 have the surname Bang?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.