2000
#19,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,310
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Cheong
An uncommon East Asian surname of uncertain meaning or origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,344 Americans carry the last name Cheong. That puts it at #14,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheong 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 Cheong with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,226
Census rank
#14,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,044 bearers of the surname Cheong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and White (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheong
The surname Cheong originates from China, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "qiong," which means "lofty" or "towering." The name was particularly prevalent in the southern regions of China, such as Guangdong and Fujian provinces.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the name Cheong appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, indicating its widespread use among the Chinese population. One notable mention is found in the "Zizhi Tongjian," a renowned historical work compiled by scholars during the Northern Song period.
The earliest recorded instances of the Cheong surname can be traced back to the 11th century. In the "Dongchuan Village Annals," a document dating back to the Song Dynasty, several individuals bearing the Cheong surname were listed as residents of the village.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Cheong Xingjian (1232-1298) gained recognition as a renowned poet and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty. His works were highly celebrated and influenced the literary and artistic realms of his time.
Another notable individual was Cheong Liang (1519-1592), a revered scholar and philosopher during the Ming Dynasty. His writings on Confucianism and ethics had a profound impact on intellectual discourse in imperial China.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Cheong surname gained further prominence. Cheong Yiguang (1723-1807) was a respected statesman and advisor to the Qing court, known for his contributions to administrative reforms and policies.
In the 19th century, Cheong Fatt Tze (1840-1915), a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, made significant contributions to the development of infrastructure and education in various regions of Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore.
It is also worth noting that the Cheong surname has variants in its spelling and pronunciation across different regions and dialects. For instance, in Cantonese, it is often spelled as "Cheung," while in Hokkien, it may appear as "Tiang" or "Tiong."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheong
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and White (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheong 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 Cheong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.3% · 1,785
- Two or more races4.5% · 91
- White4.1% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- Black or African American1.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheong
Cheong 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
#17,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,663
+353 bearers (+26.9%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 2,102 places
2020
#14,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,044
+381 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 2,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,174 | 1,310 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,072 | 1,663 | 0.56 | +353 bearers (+26.9%) | Up 2,102 places |
| 2020 | #14,109 | 2,044 | 0.68 | +381 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 2,963 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 Cheong 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 | #17,072 | #14,109 | 17.4% |
| Count | 1,663 | 2,044 | 22.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.68 | 22.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheong bearers went from 1,663 to 2,044 (+22.9% change). The surname moved up 2,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,072 to #14,109.
FAQ
Cheong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheong?
Name Census estimates that about 2,344 living Americans carry the surname Cheong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,226 residents.
How common is Cheong?
Cheong ranks #14,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,044 people with the surname Cheong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Cheong.
Has Cheong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheong went from 1,663 recorded bearers to 2,044. That is an increase of 381 (+22.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,072 to #14,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and White (4.1%). 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 Cheong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,785 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%), White (4.1%). 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 Cheong (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 Cheong mean?
An uncommon East Asian surname of uncertain meaning or origin. 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 Cheong (0.68 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 Cheong?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.