Find out how popular the last name Cheng is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cheng.

Cheng, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cheng surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cheng in America

Cheng is the 1063rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cheng surname appeared 32,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Cheng.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cheng to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cheng

The surname Cheng has its origins in China and dates back to ancient times. It is a Chinese family name that is transliterated from the Chinese characters 程. The characters 程 originate from an ancient Chinese word meaning "law" or "rule", suggesting that the surname may have initially been given to those who held positions related to legal or administrative roles.

In early Chinese history, the Cheng surname is recorded in various documents and manuscripts, such as the Shiji, a historical record from the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). The name is believed to have first emerged during the Spring and Autumn Period (771–476 BC) in the state of Lu, located in present-day Shandong Province.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cheng was Cheng Yi, a renowned Confucian philosopher and writer who lived from 1033 to 1107 AD during the Song Dynasty. He was a prominent figure in the neo-Confucian movement and is remembered for his influential works on moral philosophy and ethics.

Another notable figure with the Cheng surname was Cheng Ho (1371–1433), a Chinese Muslim maritime explorer and fleet admiral who commanded expeditionary voyages throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean during the Ming Dynasty. His voyages were significant in establishing diplomatic and trade relations with various regions.

In the realm of literature, Cheng Xueqin (1715–1763) was a notable Chinese writer and author of the classic novel "The Dream of the Red Chamber", considered one of the greatest works of Chinese fiction.

During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the Cheng family was prominent in the region of Shandong, with some members holding influential positions in the imperial court. The name Cheng was also associated with several place names, such as Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, which derives its name from the ancient state of Cheng.

Throughout history, the Cheng surname has been widely dispersed across various regions of China and has also been adopted by Chinese communities in other parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. Despite its widespread distribution, the surname continues to hold deep cultural and historical significance, reflecting the rich heritage of China.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cheng

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cheng.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cheng was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cheng has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cheng was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cheng, please contact us.

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