2000
#12,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Giang
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Jiang, meaning "river" or "creek."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,024 Americans carry the last name Giang. That puts it at #8,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,178 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giang 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
4.0K
1 in 85,178
Census rank
#8,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,509 bearers of the surname Giang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giang
The surname Giang originates from Vietnam and is believed to have emerged during the 15th century. It is derived from the Vietnamese word "giang," which means "river" or "stream," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with people living near a body of water.
In Vietnam, surnames often carry regional connections, and the name Giang is predominantly found in the northern and central regions of the country. Some historical records indicate that the name was particularly prevalent in the provinces of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa, where many families with the Giang surname resided.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Giang surname can be traced back to the 16th century, during the reign of the Le Dynasty. In a collection of administrative records from that era, there are references to individuals bearing the name Giang who held positions within the imperial bureaucracy.
During the 18th century, a notable figure named Giang Van Minh (1730-1785) gained recognition as a scholar and philosopher. His writings on Confucian ethics and social harmony significantly influenced Vietnamese intellectual circles of that period.
Another prominent individual with the Giang surname was Giang Thi Khue (1839-1909), a revered poet and scholar of the Nguyen Dynasty. Her literary works, particularly her poetry, have been widely studied and celebrated in Vietnamese literature.
In the 20th century, Giang Trach Dong (1901-1980) made significant contributions as a journalist and political activist. He advocated for Vietnamese independence and played a pivotal role in the country's struggle against French colonial rule.
Giang Van Thang (1923-2001) was a highly respected architect who designed numerous notable buildings in Vietnam, including the iconic Opera House in Hanoi, which is considered a masterpiece of modern Vietnamese architecture.
It is worth noting that the name Giang has also been linked to several place names in Vietnam, such as Giang Bien, a district in the northern province of Quang Ninh, and Giang Thanh, a commune in the central province of Nghe An.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giang
Among Census respondents with the surname Giang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Giang 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 Giang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.7% · 3,359
- White1.7% · 59
- Two or more races1.7% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giang
Giang 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
#10,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,909
+624 bearers (+27.3%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 1,511 places
2020
#8,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,509
+600 bearers (+20.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 1,997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,458 | 2,285 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,947 | 2,909 | 0.99 | +624 bearers (+27.3%) | Up 1,511 places |
| 2020 | #8,950 | 3,509 | 1.17 | +600 bearers (+20.6%) | Up 1,997 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 Giang 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 | #10,947 | #8,950 | 18.2% |
| Count | 2,909 | 3,509 | 20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 1.17 | 18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giang bearers went from 2,909 to 3,509 (+20.6% change). The surname moved up 1,997 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,947 to #8,950.
FAQ
Giang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giang?
Name Census estimates that about 4,024 living Americans carry the surname Giang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,178 residents.
How common is Giang?
Giang ranks #8,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,509 people with the surname Giang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Giang.
Has Giang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giang went from 2,909 recorded bearers to 3,509. That is an increase of 600 (+20.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,947 to #8,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Giang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Giang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (3,359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.7%), White (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Giang (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 Giang mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Jiang, meaning "river" or "creek." 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 Giang (1.17 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 Americans have the surname Giang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.