2000
#4,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,919
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Ching
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Jing, or referring to someone who lives near a well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,250 Americans carry the last name Ching. That puts it at #4,769 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ching 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 Ching with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,546
Census rank
#4,769
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,194 bearers of the surname Ching in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4769th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ching, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ching
The surname "CHING" originates from China and can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is a romanized spelling of the Chinese surname 程, which is pronounced "Chéng" in Mandarin Chinese. The name is believed to have derived from the ancient Chinese word "程程" (chéng chéng), meaning "step by step" or "gradually".
The earliest recorded instance of the surname can be found in historical records from the Tang Dynasty, where it was associated with several prominent figures. One notable example is Cheng Hao (1032-1085), a renowned Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar who hailed from the city of Zhenjiang in present-day Jiangsu Province.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the Ching surname was also found in various local gazetteers and genealogical records. One such record mentions a Ching family residing in the town of Xiushui, located in present-day Zhejiang Province.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the Ching surname gained further prominence with Ching Shih (1775-1844), a famous female pirate who commanded a formidable fleet in the South China Sea. She was born in Guangdong Province and is regarded as one of the most successful pirates in history.
Another notable figure with the Ching surname was Ching Ling (1890-1981), the second wife of Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. Ching Ling was an influential political figure and advocate for women's rights in her own right.
In the realm of literature, Ching Hsin (1900-1933) was a prominent Chinese poet and essayist who was part of the influential Crescent Moon Society, a literary movement in the early 20th century. His works explored themes of modernism and individualism.
Throughout history, variations in the romanized spelling of the surname have existed, such as "Cheng," "Chung," and "Chong." These variations can often be attributed to different dialects or regional pronunciations of the original Chinese characters.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ching
Among Census respondents with the surname Ching, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ching 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 Ching surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.0% · 5,179
- Two or more races12.0% · 865
- White8.3% · 598
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 488
- Black or African American0.7% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ching
Ching 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
#4,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,417
+498 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#4,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,194
-223 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,683 | 6,919 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,772 | 7,417 | 2.51 | +498 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #4,769 | 7,194 | 2.41 | -223 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 3 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 Ching 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 | #4,772 | #4,769 | 0.1% |
| Count | 7,417 | 7,194 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.41 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ching bearers went from 7,417 to 7,194 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,772 to #4,769.
FAQ
Ching surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ching?
Name Census estimates that about 8,250 living Americans carry the surname Ching. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,546 residents.
How common is Ching?
Ching ranks #4,769 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 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 7,194 people with the surname Ching. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 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 Ching.
Has Ching become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ching went from 7,417 recorded bearers to 7,194. That is a decrease of 223 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,772 to #4,769.
What does the Census say about the background of Ching?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ching, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (8.3%). 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 Ching in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (5,179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ching appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.0%), Two or More Races (12.0%), White (8.3%). 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 Ching (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 Ching mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Jing, or referring to someone who lives near a well. 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 Ching (2.41 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 Ching?
You can see how many people are called Ching on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.