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

Hwang, 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 Hwang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hwang in America

Hwang is the 2017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hwang surname appeared 17,900 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Hwang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hwang 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 Hwang

The surname Hwang originates from China and is a romanized version of the Chinese character 黄 (huáng). This character is commonly associated with the color yellow and has been used as a surname in China for over two millennia.

In ancient China, surnames were often derived from the names of states or regions, and the Hwang surname is believed to have originated from the ancient state of Huang, located in present-day Henan Province. The earliest recorded use of the surname Hwang can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BCE - 1046 BCE).

During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 BCE - 256 BCE), the Hwang surname was particularly prominent in the state of Qi, located in present-day Shandong Province. Several notable historical figures from this period bore the Hwang surname, including Hwang Xie, a renowned philosopher and statesman who lived in the 4th century BCE.

As the Chinese civilization expanded, the Hwang surname spread to other regions, including Korea, where it is transcribed as 황 (Hwang). In Korea, the Hwang surname is one of the most common family names, particularly in the southern regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hwang surname in Korea can be found in the Samguk Sagi, a historical record of the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE - 935 CE). The text mentions Hwang Gye, a general who lived in the 7th century CE and played a crucial role in the unification of the Korean peninsula under the Silla Kingdom.

During the Goryeo Dynasty (918 CE - 1392 CE), the Hwang surname gained prominence, with several members of the royal family bearing this name. Hwang Hui, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century CE, is one of the most famous historical figures with the Hwang surname from this period.

In the Joseon Dynasty (1392 CE - 1897 CE), the Hwang surname continued to be prevalent, with notable individuals such as Hwang Jip (1506 - 1563), a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar and politician, and Hwang Jin-i (1522 - 1585), a revered scholar and calligrapher.

Beyond Korea and China, the Hwang surname can also be found in other East Asian countries, such as Vietnam, where it is transcribed as Hoàng. One of the most notable historical figures with this surname in Vietnam is Hoàng Đạo Thành (1207 - 1300), a renowned military leader who played a pivotal role in defending Vietnam against Mongol invasions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hwang

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

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

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

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