Heng last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Heng is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Heng.

Meaning of Heng

A Chinese surname meaning "eternal" or "constant," often referring to a person's enduring character or lasting influence.

Heng, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Heng surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heng in America

Heng is the 8611th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heng surname appeared 3,819 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Heng.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heng to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 8611 10281 -17.68%
Count 3,819 2,873 28.27%
Proportion per 100k 1.29 1.07 18.64%

The history of the last name Heng

The surname HENG is believed to have originated in China, specifically in the Guangdong province. It can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The name is derived from the Cantonese word "heng," which means "prosperity" or "flourishing."

In ancient Chinese records, the earliest known mention of the HENG surname can be found in the "Xingshi Zuan," a genealogical record compiled during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). This document lists several families bearing the HENG surname, indicating its widespread presence in southern China during that period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the HENG surname was HENG Zhixuan, a prominent scholar and poet who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). He is known for his contributions to the development of classical Chinese poetry and his influential work, "The Anthology of Tang Poetry."

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the HENG surname was particularly prevalent in the regions around Guangzhou and Shantou. Several notable figures from this era bore the HENG surname, including HENG Wanli (1551-1608), a renowned calligrapher and painter whose works are highly regarded in Chinese art history.

In the late 19th century, a prominent figure with the HENG surname was HENG Xubai (1870-1924), a revolutionary and political activist who played a significant role in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China.

Another notable individual with the HENG surname was HENG Yuehua (1921-2011), a highly respected linguist and scholar of Chinese language and literature. She made significant contributions to the study of ancient Chinese texts and the preservation of traditional Chinese culture.

The HENG surname has also been associated with various place names throughout China, particularly in the Guangdong province. For example, the town of Hengshan, located in the Huizhou region, is believed to have derived its name from the HENG surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heng

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Heng.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Heng was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 11.78% 450
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 82.69% 3,158
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.04% 78
Hispanic Origin 3.04% 116

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Heng has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 11.78% 15.87% -29.58%
Black (S)% 0.38% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 82.69% 74.97% 9.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.17% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.04% 5.81% -96.05%
Hispanic 3.04% 2.78% 8.93%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Heng was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Heng, please contact us.

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"Heng last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 21, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/heng-surname-popularity/.

"Heng last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/heng-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 November, 2024

Heng last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/heng-surname-popularity/.

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