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

Chung, 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 Chung surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chung in America

Chung is the 805th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chung surname appeared 43,110 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Chung.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chung 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 Chung

The surname Chung is of Chinese origin and can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) in ancient China. It is derived from the Chinese word "zhong," which means "middle" or "central." The name was originally used to refer to people who lived in the central regions of China.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chung can be found in the "Book of Han," a historical text that chronicles the Eastern Han Dynasty. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Chung who held important positions in the imperial court.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the Chung surname became particularly prominent in the Shandong and Henan provinces of China. Many Chung families rose to prominence during this period, and several individuals with this surname held high-ranking positions in the imperial government.

In the 11th century, a notable Chung family established itself in the city of Hangzhou, which was then the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD). The Chung clan played a significant role in the cultural and political life of the city, and several members of the family were renowned scholars and officials.

One of the most famous historical figures with the surname Chung is Chung Ying (1461-1537), a renowned Chinese painter and calligrapher who lived during the Ming Dynasty. His works are highly regarded and can be found in numerous museums and collections around the world.

Another notable individual with the Chung surname is Chung Yao (1892-1981), a Chinese poet and playwright who was a prominent figure in the May Fourth Movement, a socio-political movement that sought to modernize Chinese culture and society.

In the 20th century, Chung Shan (1909-1984), a Chinese mathematician and educator, made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education in China. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern mathematics education in the country.

Chung Yu-jo (1928-2015) was a renowned Taiwanese novelist and essayist who was widely celebrated for his works that explored the complexities of modern Taiwanese society and culture.

The surname Chung has also been prominent in other parts of Asia. In Korea, the surname is romanized as Jung, and it has a long and distinguished history dating back to the ancient Korean kingdoms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chung

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

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

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

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