2010
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garang
A Tagalog surname potentially meaning "fierce" or "brave" in reference to one's character.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 237 Americans carry the last name Garang. That puts it at #94,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,446,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garang 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.
Bearers in the US
237
1 in 1,446,221
Census rank
#94,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
207
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 207 bearers of the surname Garang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 94713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garang, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garang
The surname GARANG has its origins in the Philippines, where it was first recorded in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Visayan word "garang," which means "brave" or "courageous." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who displayed acts of bravery or valor.
One of the earliest known records of the name GARANG can be found in the Spanish colonial archives, which document the lives of Filipino individuals who lived during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. These records often mention individuals with the surname GARANG, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 18th century, a notable individual with the surname GARANG was Juan GARANG, a Filipino revolutionary who fought against the Spanish colonial rule. He was born in 1756 and played a significant role in the Revolt of the Brotherhoods, a series of uprisings against the Spanish authorities in the late 18th century.
Another prominent figure with the GARANG surname was Maria GARANG, a Filipino poet and activist who lived in the late 19th century. She was known for her poetry that criticized the Spanish colonial government and advocated for Filipino independence. Maria GARANG was born in 1865 and her works were widely circulated among the Filipino intelligentsia of her time.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the GARANG surname was John GARANG, a Sudanese politician and rebel leader. He was born in 1945 and was the founder and leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), which fought for the independence of South Sudan. John GARANG played a pivotal role in the Second Sudanese Civil War and was instrumental in the eventual establishment of South Sudan as an independent nation in 2011.
Another notable figure with the GARANG surname was Pedro GARANG, a Filipino writer and journalist who lived during the early 20th century. He was born in 1890 and was known for his critical writings on social and political issues in the Philippines during the American colonial period.
Throughout history, the surname GARANG has been associated with individuals who have demonstrated courage, bravery, and a strong sense of activism and resistance against oppressive regimes. While the name originated in the Philippines, it has also gained prominence in other parts of the world, particularly in Sudan, due to the impact of individuals like John GARANG.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garang
Among Census respondents with the surname Garang, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Garang 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 Garang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.2% · 195
- White2.9% · 6
- Two or more races1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garang
Garang appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#94,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
+77 bearers (+59.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 35,897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #94,713 | 207 | 0.07 | +77 bearers (+59.2%) | Up 35,897 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 Garang 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 | #130,610 | #94,713 | 27.5% |
| Count | 130 | 207 | 59.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.07 | 73.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garang bearers went from 130 to 207 (+59.2% change). The surname moved up 35,897 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #94,713.
FAQ
Garang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garang?
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the surname Garang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,446,221 residents.
How common is Garang?
Garang ranks #94,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 207 people with the surname Garang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Garang.
Has Garang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garang went from 130 recorded bearers to 207. That is an increase of 77 (+59.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #130,610 to #94,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Garang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garang, the largest self-reported group is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Garang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (94.2%), White (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Garang (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 Garang mean?
A Tagalog surname potentially meaning "fierce" or "brave" in reference to one's character. 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 Garang (0.07 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 Garang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.