2000
#10,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Heng
A Chinese surname meaning "eternal" or "constant," often referring to a person's enduring character or lasting influence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,850 Americans carry the last name Heng. That puts it at #7,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,671 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heng 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 Heng with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 70,671
Census rank
#7,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,229 bearers of the surname Heng in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heng
Among Census respondents with the surname Heng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Heng 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 Heng surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.8% · 3,588
- White9.8% · 413
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 109
- Two or more races2.5% · 104
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heng
Heng 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
#8,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,819
+946 bearers (+32.9%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 1,670 places
2020
#7,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,229
+410 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Up 1,035 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,281 | 2,873 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,611 | 3,819 | 1.29 | +946 bearers (+32.9%) | Up 1,670 places |
| 2020 | #7,576 | 4,229 | 1.41 | +410 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,035 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 Heng 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 | #8,611 | #7,576 | 12.0% |
| Count | 3,819 | 4,229 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.41 | 9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heng bearers went from 3,819 to 4,229 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 1,035 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,611 to #7,576.
FAQ
Heng surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heng?
Name Census estimates that about 4,850 living Americans carry the surname Heng. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,671 residents.
How common is Heng?
Heng ranks #7,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,229 people with the surname Heng. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Heng.
Has Heng become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heng went from 3,819 recorded bearers to 4,229. That is an increase of 410 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,611 to #7,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Heng?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Heng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (3,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heng appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (84.8%), White (9.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Heng (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 Heng mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "eternal" or "constant," often referring to a person's enduring character or lasting influence. 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 Heng (1.41 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 Heng?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.