2000
#5,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,406
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Hang
A Chinese surname meaning "boat" or "vast, expansive," or referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,031 Americans carry the last name Hang. That puts it at #4,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,679 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hang 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 Hang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,679
Census rank
#4,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,003 bearers of the surname Hang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hang
The surname "HANG" is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots traced back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "hang," which referred to a steep slope or a hillside. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who resided near such geographical features.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname "HANG" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval Saxon diplomatic documents dating back to the 14th century. This record mentions a certain "Johannes Hang" from the region of Saxony.
During the 16th century, the name "HANG" appeared in various official records and chronicles across different parts of Germany. For instance, the Kirchenbücher (church books) of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria recorded the births, marriages, and deaths of several individuals bearing this surname.
Notably, in the late 16th century, a prominent figure named Hans Hang (1542-1609) rose to prominence as a renowned German theologian and academic. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Tübingen and authored several influential works on religious doctrine.
As the centuries progressed, the surname "HANG" spread across various regions of Europe, often undergoing slight variations in spelling. In the 18th century, records indicate the presence of individuals with the name "HANG" in the Netherlands, likely due to migration or trade connections with neighboring Germany.
One notable figure from this period was Johann Michael Hang (1712-1786), a distinguished German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and played a crucial role in the advancement of astronomical knowledge during the Enlightenment era.
Moving into the 19th century, the name "HANG" continued to be found in various parts of Europe, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Among the notable individuals bearing this surname was Karl Hang (1830-1897), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Hang Machine Works, a pioneering company in the field of mechanical engineering.
As migration patterns evolved, the surname "HANG" also found its way to other parts of the world, carried by individuals seeking new opportunities or fleeing conflicts. However, the historical records and references presented here primarily focus on the origins and early development of this surname within the European context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hang
Among Census respondents with the surname Hang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hang 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 Hang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 6,528
- White3.5% · 243
- Two or more races2.0% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 67
- Black or African American0.3% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hang
Hang 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
#5,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,863
+1,457 bearers (+27.0%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 764 places
2020
#4,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,003
+140 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Up 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,865 | 5,406 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,101 | 6,863 | 2.33 | +1,457 bearers (+27.0%) | Up 764 places |
| 2020 | #4,884 | 7,003 | 2.34 | +140 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 217 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 Hang 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 | #5,101 | #4,884 | 4.3% |
| Count | 6,863 | 7,003 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.34 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hang bearers went from 6,863 to 7,003 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,101 to #4,884.
FAQ
Hang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hang?
Name Census estimates that about 8,031 living Americans carry the surname Hang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,679 residents.
How common is Hang?
Hang ranks #4,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,003 people with the surname Hang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hang.
Has Hang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hang went from 6,863 recorded bearers to 7,003. That is an increase of 140 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,101 to #4,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Hang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Hang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (6,528 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), White (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Hang (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 Hang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "boat" or "vast, expansive," or referring to a place name. 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 Hang (2.34 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 Hang?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.