2000
#6,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Choy
A Chinese surname meaning "vegetable" or referring to a vegetable garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,630 Americans carry the last name Choy. That puts it at #6,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,880 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Choy 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 Choy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 60,880
Census rank
#6,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,910 bearers of the surname Choy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Choy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Choy
The surname Choy originated in China, with its roots traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese surname 蔡 (Choi or Tsoi). This surname was initially associated with people residing in the Guangdong province of southern China.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the Choy surname appeared in historical records documenting notable scholars and officials. One such individual was Choy Yun-Wo, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived from 1005 to 1064 AD.
The earliest recorded instance of the Choy surname can be found in the "Pu'an County Annals," a historical text dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). This record mentions a prominent figure named Choy Ting-Fung, who served as a magistrate in Pu'an County (now part of Guangdong province) during the 15th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous Choy families emigrated from Guangdong to various parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. This diaspora contributed to the spread and recognition of the Choy surname globally.
One notable bearer of the Choy surname was Sir Shouson Chow (1861-1935), a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. He was instrumental in the development of several public projects in the city, including the Shouson Hill area, which bears his name.
Another famous individual with the Choy surname was Wilbur Choy (1915-1986), an American architect renowned for his contributions to modern architecture in Hawaii. His notable works include the IBM Building in Honolulu and the Kahala Hilton Hotel.
In the realm of sports, Choy Ching-Man (born 1989) is a Hong Kong professional footballer who has represented the Hong Kong national team and played for various clubs in Asia.
The Choy surname has also been associated with several notable academics and intellectuals, such as Choy Kwok-Keung (born 1958), a distinguished professor of physics at the University of Hong Kong, and Choy Yuen-Sang (1919-2007), a highly respected educator and writer in Hong Kong.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Choy
Among Census respondents with the surname Choy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Choy 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 Choy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander75.5% · 3,706
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 491
- Two or more races7.9% · 387
- White5.4% · 266
- Black or African American1.2% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Choy
Choy 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
#6,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,254
+138 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#6,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,910
-344 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,166 | 5,116 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,467 | 5,254 | 1.78 | +138 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #6,618 | 4,910 | 1.64 | -344 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 151 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 Choy 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 | #6,467 | #6,618 | -2.3% |
| Count | 5,254 | 4,910 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.64 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Choy bearers went from 5,254 to 4,910 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,467 to #6,618.
FAQ
Choy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Choy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,630 living Americans carry the surname Choy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,880 residents.
How common is Choy?
Choy ranks #6,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 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 4,910 people with the surname Choy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,630), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 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 Choy.
Has Choy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Choy went from 5,254 recorded bearers to 4,910. That is a decrease of 344 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,467 to #6,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Choy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Choy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Choy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (3,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Choy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (75.5%), Hispanic (10.0%), Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Choy (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 Choy mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "vegetable" or referring to a vegetable garden. 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 Choy (1.64 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 common is the surname Choy?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Choy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.