2000
#10,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Chua
A Chinese surname meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy," originating from the ancient Chinese state of Chu.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,815 Americans carry the last name Chua. That puts it at #6,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chua 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 Chua with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,943
Census rank
#6,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,071 bearers of the surname Chua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chua
The surname Chua is believed to have originated from China. It is a Chinese family name that can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in the regions of Guangdong and Fujian provinces. The name is thought to be derived from the Chinese word "chua," which means "ancestral" or "ancestral hall."
In ancient Chinese records, the name Chua first appeared in the form of "Chu" or "Chu'a," which was a common surname among the Chinese population in the southern coastal regions. It is believed that the name may have evolved from the place name "Chuzhou," a city located in the eastern part of Anhui Province.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chua can be found in the "Pu Wen Yun Fu," a Chinese rhyming dictionary compiled during the Song Dynasty. This text includes the surname Chua, suggesting its widespread use during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Chua. One of the earliest examples is Chua Si-Min (1368-1644), a renowned Chinese philosopher and scholar during the Ming Dynasty. Another notable figure was Chua Lam (1677-1741), a Qing Dynasty poet and calligrapher from Guangdong Province.
During the 19th century, the name Chua gained prominence with individuals like Chua Ek Kay (1805-1878), a successful businessman and philanthropist in Singapore. Another notable figure was Chua Soo Bin (1876-1936), a Chinese revolutionary and political activist who played a role in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911.
In more recent times, the name Chua has been associated with individuals such as Chua Thian Poh (1913-2008), a prominent Singaporean businessman and community leader, and Chua Lam (1942-2020), a renowned Chinese-American architect and urban planner.
While the surname Chua has its roots in ancient China, it has spread to other parts of the world, particularly in Southeast Asian countries with significant Chinese diasporas, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chua
Among Census respondents with the surname Chua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Chua 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 Chua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.8% · 4,556
- Two or more races3.7% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 179
- White2.7% · 136
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chua
Chua 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
#7,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,309
+1,405 bearers (+48.4%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 2,491 places
2020
#6,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,071
+762 bearers (+17.7%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 1,253 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,193 | 2,904 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,702 | 4,309 | 1.46 | +1,405 bearers (+48.4%) | Up 2,491 places |
| 2020 | #6,449 | 5,071 | 1.70 | +762 bearers (+17.7%) | Up 1,253 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 Chua 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 | #7,702 | #6,449 | 16.3% |
| Count | 4,309 | 5,071 | 17.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.70 | 16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chua bearers went from 4,309 to 5,071 (+17.7% change). The surname moved up 1,253 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,702 to #6,449.
FAQ
Chua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chua?
Name Census estimates that about 5,815 living Americans carry the surname Chua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,943 residents.
How common is Chua?
Chua ranks #6,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 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 5,071 people with the surname Chua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 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 Chua.
Has Chua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chua went from 4,309 recorded bearers to 5,071. That is an increase of 762 (+17.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,702 to #6,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Chua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Chua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (4,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Chua (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 Chua mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy," originating from the ancient Chinese state of Chu. 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 Chua (1.70 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 Chua?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Chua is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.