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

Cheung, 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 Cheung surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cheung in America

Cheung is the 1920th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cheung surname appeared 18,765 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Cheung.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cheung 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 Cheung

The surname CHEUNG originated in China, specifically in the Guangdong province during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese characters 張, which can be translated to "stretch" or "extend". The name was likely given to someone who excelled in archery or possessed exceptional physical strength.

CHEUNG is a romanized version of the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese characters 張. In Mandarin, the surname is pronounced as "Zhang". The earliest recorded instance of this surname can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), where it appeared in various historical records and genealogical books.

One notable historical reference is the "Cheung Family Genealogy" (張氏族譜), a comprehensive record of the CHEUNG lineage compiled during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). This document provides valuable insights into the origins and migration patterns of the CHEUNG family across various regions of China.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname CHEUNG was Zhang Zhuzheng (張鑄錚, 946-998 AD), a prominent scholar and calligrapher during the Song Dynasty. Another influential figure was Zhang Jiucheng (張九成, 1092-1159 AD), a military strategist and statesman who played a crucial role in the foundation of the Southern Song Dynasty.

During the Ming Dynasty, CHEUNG Tsing-lung (張廷龍, 1567-1626) was a renowned poet and calligrapher whose works were highly regarded in literary circles. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), CHEUNG Shih-chieh (張士誠, 1638-1707) was a prominent scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the Neo-Confucian movement.

Another notable figure was CHEUNG Hing-wah (張衡華, 1805-1845), a renowned diplomat and scholar who served as the Qing Empire's ambassador to various European countries. His memoirs provide valuable insights into the cultural exchange between China and the West during the 19th century.

Throughout history, the CHEUNG surname has been associated with various place names and locations in China, such as Zhangzhou (漳州) in Fujian province and Zhangye (張掖) in Gansu province, which were likely named after influential CHEUNG families or individuals from these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cheung

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

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 Cheung 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 Cheung 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 Cheung was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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