2000
#4,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,791
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.52
Uncommon Last name
Fang
A Chinese surname meaning "square" or "four-sided," or referring to a square-shaped vessel or container.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,201 Americans carry the last name Fang. That puts it at #2,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fang 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 Fang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,156
Census rank
#2,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,128 bearers of the surname Fang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fang
Among Census respondents with the surname Fang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fang 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 Fang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.1% · 13,289
- White3.1% · 431
- Two or more races1.3% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 133
- Black or African American0.6% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fang
Fang 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
#3,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,316
+3,525 bearers (+51.9%)
Per 100,000 3.50
Rank movement Up 1,307 places
2020
#2,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,128
+3,812 bearers (+37.0%)
Per 100,000 4.73
Rank movement Up 970 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,771 | 6,791 | 2.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,464 | 10,316 | 3.50 | +3,525 bearers (+51.9%) | Up 1,307 places |
| 2020 | #2,494 | 14,128 | 4.73 | +3,812 bearers (+37.0%) | Up 970 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 Fang 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 | #3,464 | #2,494 | 28.0% |
| Count | 10,316 | 14,128 | 37.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.50 | 4.73 | 35.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fang bearers went from 10,316 to 14,128 (+37.0% change). The surname moved up 970 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,464 to #2,494.
FAQ
Fang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fang?
Name Census estimates that about 16,201 living Americans carry the surname Fang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,156 residents.
How common is Fang?
Fang ranks #2,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,128 people with the surname Fang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Fang.
Has Fang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fang went from 10,316 recorded bearers to 14,128. That is an increase of 3,812 (+37.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,464 to #2,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Fang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Fang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (13,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.1%), White (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Fang (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 Fang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "square" or "four-sided," or referring to a square-shaped vessel or container. 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 Fang (4.73 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 Fang?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.