2000
#4,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.79
Uncommon Last name
Fung
A Chinese surname meaning "abundant" or "plentiful," originating from a word referring to a type of ancient cauldron.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,378 Americans carry the last name Fung. That puts it at #3,824 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,027 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fung 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 Fung with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,027
Census rank
#3,824
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,050 bearers of the surname Fung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3824th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fung
The surname FUNG is of Chinese origin and is believed to have originated in the Guangdong province of southern China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is a romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese character 馮, which is typically associated with the Mandarin pronunciation "Fēng".
The Chinese character 馮 has its roots in the ancient Chinese word "fung," which means "wind" or "breeze." It is likely that the surname was initially bestowed upon individuals who lived in areas known for their windy conditions or who were associated with occupations related to wind, such as sailing or wind-powered mills.
In ancient Chinese records, the earliest known reference to the FUNG surname can be found in the "Records of the Grand Historian" (史記), a monumental historical work by Sima Qian, written around 100 BC. This text mentions several individuals with the surname FUNG, indicating its existence during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).
One notable figure in Chinese history bearing the FUNG surname was Fung Yüan (1554-1619), a renowned scholar and philosopher during the Ming Dynasty. He is best known for his work on Neo-Confucian philosophy and his contributions to the development of the "School of Mind" (心學) movement.
Another significant figure was Fung Tao-fen (1905-1976), a Chinese mathematician and physicist who made important contributions to the fields of electromagnetic theory and relativity. He was also a pioneer in the development of Chinese mathematics education.
In the realm of literature, Fung Ping Shan (1898-1985) was a prominent Chinese author and poet from Hong Kong. He is celebrated for his novels and short stories that explored the complexities of modern urban life and the cultural clashes between traditional Chinese values and Western influences.
The FUNG surname has also been associated with various place names throughout China. For instance, the town of Fengshun (鳳順) in Guangdong Province incorporates the character 馮 in its name, suggesting a possible connection to the surname's origins.
It is worth noting that the FUNG surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Feng, Foong, and Fong, among others. These variations arose due to the complexities of transliterating Chinese characters into different languages and dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fung
Among Census respondents with the surname Fung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fung 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 Fung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.3% · 7,628
- Two or more races5.9% · 531
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 369
- White3.3% · 297
- Black or African American2.3% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fung
Fung 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
#4,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,837
+1,319 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Up 343 places
2020
#3,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,050
+213 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Up 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,367 | 7,518 | 2.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,024 | 8,837 | 3.00 | +1,319 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 343 places |
| 2020 | #3,824 | 9,050 | 3.03 | +213 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 200 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 Fung 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 | #4,024 | #3,824 | 5.0% |
| Count | 8,837 | 9,050 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 3.03 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fung bearers went from 8,837 to 9,050 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,024 to #3,824.
FAQ
Fung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fung?
Name Census estimates that about 10,378 living Americans carry the surname Fung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,027 residents.
How common is Fung?
Fung ranks #3,824 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,050 people with the surname Fung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Fung.
Has Fung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fung went from 8,837 recorded bearers to 9,050. That is an increase of 213 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,024 to #3,824.
What does the Census say about the background of Fung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Fung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (7,628 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (84.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Fung (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 Fung mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "abundant" or "plentiful," originating from a word referring to a type of ancient cauldron. 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 Fung (3.03 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 Fung?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.