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

Chou, 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 Chou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chou in America

Chou is the 3610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chou surname appeared 9,834 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Chou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chou 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 Chou

The surname CHOU has its origins in China, dating back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC). It is derived from the Chinese character 周, which means "surrounding" or "encompassing." The Zhou Dynasty was a pivotal period in Chinese history, during which the concept of the Mandate of Heaven was developed, establishing the legitimacy of the ruling house based on moral virtue.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname CHOU was Zhou Gong (周公), the Duke of Zhou, who lived in the 11th century BC. He was a prominent figure during the Western Zhou Dynasty and is credited with establishing many of the governmental and social structures that shaped Chinese civilization.

The CHOU surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout Chinese history. Zhou Dunyi (周敦颐, 1017–1073) was a renowned Neo-Confucian philosopher and one of the founders of the Lixue (理学) school of thought. His works, such as the "Taiji Tushuo" (太极图说), were highly influential in the development of Neo-Confucian cosmology.

Another prominent individual with the CHOU surname was Zhou Enlai (周恩来, 1898–1976), a Chinese revolutionary and statesman who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the Communist government and was instrumental in shaping China's foreign policy during the Cold War era.

In the realm of literature, Zhou Shuren (周树人, 1881–1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (鲁迅), was a leading figure in the May Fourth Movement and is considered one of the most influential modern Chinese writers. His works, such as the short story collections "Nahan" (呐喊) and "Panghuang" (朋黄), exposed the social ills of traditional Chinese society and advocated for cultural and political reform.

The CHOU surname has also been associated with various place names in China, such as Zhouxian (周县) in Hebei Province and Zhoushan (舟山) in Zhejiang Province. These place names often derive from the Zhou Dynasty or are related to the surname's meaning of "surrounding" or "encompassing."

While the CHOU surname has a rich history and cultural significance in China, it has also gained recognition worldwide, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions across various fields, from politics and philosophy to literature and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chou

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

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

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

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