2000
#11,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,478
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Chuang
A Chinese surname meaning "craftsman," "artisan," or "maker," likely referring to the occupation of an ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,996 Americans carry the last name Chuang. That puts it at #9,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,774 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chuang 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.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,774
Census rank
#9,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,485 bearers of the surname Chuang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chuang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chuang
The surname CHUANG originated in China and can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is a romanized version of the Chinese characters 莊 or 庄, which have various meanings such as "grand," "magnificent," or "honorable." The name is believed to have originated from a place name or an administrative division during the Tang period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CHUANG surname can be found in the "Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government," a historical text compiled during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). This work mentions several individuals with the CHUANG surname, including CHUANG Pu, a renowned scholar and official who lived during the Tang Dynasty.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the CHUANG surname was particularly prominent in the Zhejiang province of eastern China. Several notable individuals bore this surname, such as CHUANG Xuan (1494-1569), a renowned artist and calligrapher who served as a court painter under the Ming emperors.
Another distinguished bearer of the CHUANG surname was CHUANG Tingzhang (1639-1701), a celebrated Qing Dynasty scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the Neo-Confucian school of thought.
In the modern era, CHUANG Hsiang-Hsi (1900-1982) was a prominent Taiwanese botanist and academic who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and ecology.
CHUANG Tzu (369-286 BC), also known as Zhuangzi, was an influential Chinese philosopher and writer who is renowned for his work titled "Zhuangzi," which is considered one of the foundational texts of Taoism and Chinese philosophy.
While the CHUANG surname has its roots in China, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Chinese civilization, where it carried connotations of grandeur and honor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chuang
Among Census respondents with the surname Chuang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Chuang 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 Chuang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.6% · 3,263
- Two or more races3.0% · 106
- White2.4% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chuang
Chuang 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
#11,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
+125 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#9,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,485
+882 bearers (+33.9%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 2,988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,621 | 2,478 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,998 | 2,603 | 0.88 | +125 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #9,010 | 3,485 | 1.17 | +882 bearers (+33.9%) | Up 2,988 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 Chuang 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 | #11,998 | #9,010 | 24.9% |
| Count | 2,603 | 3,485 | 33.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 1.17 | 32.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chuang bearers went from 2,603 to 3,485 (+33.9% change). The surname moved up 2,988 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,998 to #9,010.
FAQ
Chuang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chuang?
Name Census estimates that about 3,996 living Americans carry the surname Chuang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,774 residents.
How common is Chuang?
Chuang ranks #9,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,485 people with the surname Chuang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,996), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chuang.
Has Chuang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chuang went from 2,603 recorded bearers to 3,485. That is an increase of 882 (+33.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,998 to #9,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Chuang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chuang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.4%). 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 Chuang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chuang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%), White (2.4%). 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 Chuang (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 Chuang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "craftsman," "artisan," or "maker," likely referring to the occupation of an ancestor. 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 Chuang (1.17 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 surname Chuang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.