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

Fang, 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 Fang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fang in America

Fang is the 3464th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fang surname appeared 10,316 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Fang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fang 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 Fang

The surname "Fang" is of Chinese origin and has its roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese character "方" (fāng), which means "square" or "rectangular". This name was likely given to families who lived in areas with square-shaped settlements or communities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Fang" can be found in the "Shijing" (Book of Songs), a collection of ancient Chinese poems dating back to the 11th-8th centuries BC. The name is mentioned in several poems, suggesting its widespread use during that era.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the Fang family was prominent in the central Chinese region of Henan. Several members of the family held important positions in the imperial government, including Fang Xuanling (579-648 AD), a renowned historian and compiler of the "Book of Jin" and "Book of Song".

In the 13th century, a branch of the Fang family migrated to Fujian Province in southeastern China. One notable figure from this lineage was Fang Xiaoru (1357-1402), a renowned Confucian scholar and writer who served as an official during the Ming Dynasty.

The Fang surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of China, such as Sichuan and Guangdong provinces. In the 16th century, Fang Yizhi (1611-1671) was a prominent philosopher and scholar from Guangdong who made significant contributions to the field of Neo-Confucianism.

Another notable figure with the surname "Fang" was Fang Zhongshu (1919-2008), a prominent Chinese linguist and philosopher who played a crucial role in reviving the study of classical Chinese texts in the 20th century.

Throughout history, the "Fang" surname has been carried by numerous individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, officials, writers, and artists. While its exact origin may be lost in time, the name remains deeply rooted in Chinese culture and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fang

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

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

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

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