2000
#16,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Cui
A Romanian surname derived from the word "cuiu," meaning "nail" or "spike," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,075 Americans carry the last name Cui. That puts it at #4,862 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,446 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cui 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 Cui with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,446
Census rank
#4,862
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,042 bearers of the surname Cui in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4862nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cui
The surname Cui is believed to have originated in China, with roots dating back to the Xia Dynasty (c. 2070 BC–c. 1600 BC). It is derived from the ancient Chinese word "cui," which means "emerald" or "green jade," and was likely originally a descriptive name given to someone who worked with or had an affinity for jade.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Cui can be found in the Shiji, a monumental historical text written by Sima Qian in the 1st century BC. The Shiji mentions several individuals with the surname Cui, including Cui Zhouping, a powerful minister during the Warring States period (475–221 BC).
During the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 AD), the name Cui gained prominence, with several notable figures bearing the surname. One of the most famous was Cui Bao (d. 450 AD), a renowned calligrapher and poet who served as a high-ranking official during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
In the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the Cui family produced several influential poets and scholars, including Cui Hao (704–754 AD), a renowned poet and essayist, and Cui Rong (653–725 AD), a celebrated historian and author of the "Old Book of Tang."
The name Cui has also been associated with various place names throughout China's history. For instance, Cuizhou (formerly known as Cuixian) is a county in Hebei Province, and Cuihuang is a town in Zhejiang Province.
Among the notable Cui figures in more recent history are Cui Jian (born 1961), a pioneering rock musician and songwriter often referred to as the "Father of Chinese Rock"; Cui Zi'en (1904–1997), a prominent linguist and educator; and Cui Yuying (1904–1986), a celebrated actress and one of the "Four Great Dan Actresses" of Chinese opera.
While the surname Cui has its roots firmly planted in ancient Chinese history, it has since spread across the globe, with people of Chinese descent bearing this name found in many countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cui
Among Census respondents with the surname Cui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cui 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 Cui surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.6% · 6,729
- White2.4% · 171
- Two or more races0.9% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 41
- Black or African American0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cui
Cui 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
#9,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,520
+1,900 bearers (+117.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 7,117 places
2020
#4,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,042
+3,522 bearers (+100.1%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Up 4,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,368 | 1,620 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,251 | 3,520 | 1.19 | +1,900 bearers (+117.3%) | Up 7,117 places |
| 2020 | #4,862 | 7,042 | 2.36 | +3,522 bearers (+100.1%) | Up 4,389 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 Cui 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 | #9,251 | #4,862 | 47.4% |
| Count | 3,520 | 7,042 | 100.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 2.36 | 98.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cui bearers went from 3,520 to 7,042 (+100.1% change). The surname moved up 4,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,251 to #4,862.
FAQ
Cui surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cui?
Name Census estimates that about 8,075 living Americans carry the surname Cui. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,446 residents.
How common is Cui?
Cui ranks #4,862 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.36 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 7,042 people with the surname Cui. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,075), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.36 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 Cui.
Has Cui become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cui went from 3,520 recorded bearers to 7,042. That is an increase of 3,522 (+100.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,251 to #4,862.
What does the Census say about the background of Cui?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Cui in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (6,729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cui appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.6%), White (2.4%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Cui (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 Cui mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the word "cuiu," meaning "nail" or "spike," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation. 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 Cui (2.36 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 last name Cui?
You can see how many people are called Cui on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.