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

Choa, 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 Choa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Choa in America

Choa is the 105079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Choa surname appeared 170 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Choa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Choa 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 Choa

The surname CHOA has its origins in China, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese characters 卓阿, which roughly translates to "eminent" and "peace" respectively. The name was initially concentrated in the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces in southern China.

Early records of the CHOA surname can be found in historical documents from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), where it appears in local census records and land ownership documents. One notable mention is in the "Yuanfeng Chronicles," a historical text from the 11th century that documents a minor official named Choa Liansheng.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the CHOA surname gained prominence with the rise of a influential family of scholars and officials. The most renowned member was Choa Xingzhi (1484-1542), a renowned philosopher and educator who helped establish the Donglin Academy, a prestigious institution for Confucian scholars.

In the 17th century, records show a branch of the CHOA family migrating to the island of Taiwan, where they settled in the Tainan region. One of the earliest recorded Taiwanese ancestors was Choa Zhigang (1622-1695), a successful merchant and landowner.

As the CHOA surname spread across Asia, it also found its way to Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore. One notable figure was Choa Choon Guan (1865-1919), a prominent businessman and philanthropist who founded several schools and charitable organizations in Penang.

Another significant individual was Choa Gao (1888-1966), a revolutionary leader and politician who played a key role in the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He went on to serve as the governor of Guangdong province in the early years of the Republic of China.

While the CHOA surname is relatively uncommon outside of Asia, it has left its mark on history through the achievements of various individuals over the centuries, from scholars and officials to merchants and revolutionaries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Choa

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

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

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

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