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

Hsiao, 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 Hsiao surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hsiao in America

Hsiao is the 11751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hsiao surname appeared 2,666 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 Hsiao.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hsiao 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.

The history of the last name Hsiao

The surname HSIAO originates from China, with records dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is a transliteration of the Chinese character "蕭," which is pronounced as "xiao" in Mandarin Chinese. The character itself is composed of two parts, "艹" (grass radical) and "宵" (evening), suggesting a possible connection to nature or the evening hours.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HSIAO surname can be found in the "Tang Huiyao," a historical text that records the events and affairs of the Tang Dynasty. The text mentions several individuals with the HSIAO surname, including HSIAO Chih, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived during the 9th century.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the HSIAO surname gained prominence through the achievements of HSIAO Hung, a prominent military leader and strategist. He played a crucial role in defending the Song Empire against the Khitan Liao Dynasty and was celebrated for his tactical brilliance on the battlefield.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the HSIAO surname was associated with a notable scholar and philosopher named HSIAO Yan. His works on Confucian thought and ethics were highly influential during his time and are still studied by scholars today.

Another prominent figure with the HSIAO surname was HSIAO Yao-yi, a 17th-century painter and calligrapher renowned for his landscape paintings and his mastery of the cursive script. His works are considered treasures of Chinese art and have been exhibited in museums around the world.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the HSIAO surname was carried by HSIAO Lin, a renowned playwright and author. His works, which often explored themes of social commentary and satire, were widely popular and continue to be studied as important works of Chinese literature.

It is worth noting that the HSIAO surname is also found in various place names across China, such as Hsiao County in Guangdong Province and Hsiao Township in Sichuan Province, further highlighting the historical significance and widespread presence of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hsiao

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

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 Hsiao was:

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 Hsiao has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Hsiao was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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