2000
#1,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,023
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.65
Uncommon Last name
Cheng
A Chinese surname meaning "accomplished" or "successful," or referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,072 Americans carry the last name Cheng. That puts it at #865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheng 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 Cheng with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,605
Census rank
#865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,305 bearers of the surname Cheng in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheng
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheng 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 Cheng surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 36,621
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,035
- White2.5% · 992
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 515
- Black or African American0.3% · 137
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheng
Cheng 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
#1,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,982
+6,959 bearers (+26.7%)
Per 100,000 11.18
Rank movement Up 175 places
2020
#865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,305
+6,323 bearers (+19.2%)
Per 100,000 13.15
Rank movement Up 198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,238 | 26,023 | 9.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,063 | 32,982 | 11.18 | +6,959 bearers (+26.7%) | Up 175 places |
| 2020 | #865 | 39,305 | 13.15 | +6,323 bearers (+19.2%) | Up 198 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 Cheng 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 | #1,063 | #865 | 18.6% |
| Count | 32,982 | 39,305 | 19.2% |
| Per 100K | 11.18 | 13.15 | 17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheng bearers went from 32,982 to 39,305 (+19.2% change). The surname moved up 198 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,063 to #865.
FAQ
Cheng surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheng?
Name Census estimates that about 45,072 living Americans carry the surname Cheng. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,605 residents.
How common is Cheng?
Cheng ranks #865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,305 people with the surname Cheng. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Cheng.
Has Cheng become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheng went from 32,982 recorded bearers to 39,305. That is an increase of 6,323 (+19.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,063 to #865.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheng?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and White (2.5%). 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 Cheng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (36,621 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheng appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), White (2.5%). 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 Cheng (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 Cheng mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "accomplished" or "successful," or referring to a place name. 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 Cheng (13.15 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 last name Cheng?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Cheng? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.