2000
#2,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.05
Uncommon Last name
Hwang
A Korean surname derived from the Chinese surname Huang, meaning "yellow" or "golden."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,798 Americans carry the last name Hwang. That puts it at #1,855 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hwang 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 Hwang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,724
Census rank
#1,855
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,009 bearers of the surname Hwang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1855th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hwang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hwang
Among Census respondents with the surname Hwang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hwang 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 Hwang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.5% · 17,970
- White2.2% · 426
- Two or more races2.2% · 412
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 142
- Black or African American0.3% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hwang
Hwang 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
#2,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,900
+4,290 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 6.07
Rank movement Up 418 places
2020
#1,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,009
+1,109 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 6.36
Rank movement Up 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,435 | 13,610 | 5.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,017 | 17,900 | 6.07 | +4,290 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 418 places |
| 2020 | #1,855 | 19,009 | 6.36 | +1,109 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 162 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 Hwang 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 | #2,017 | #1,855 | 8.0% |
| Count | 17,900 | 19,009 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.07 | 6.36 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hwang bearers went from 17,900 to 19,009 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,017 to #1,855.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hwang
FAQ
Hwang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hwang?
Name Census estimates that about 21,798 living Americans carry the surname Hwang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,724 residents.
How common is Hwang?
Hwang ranks #1,855 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,009 people with the surname Hwang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hwang.
Has Hwang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hwang went from 17,900 recorded bearers to 19,009. That is an increase of 1,109 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,017 to #1,855.
What does the Census say about the background of Hwang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hwang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hwang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (17,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hwang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.5%), White (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hwang (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 Hwang mean?
A Korean surname derived from the Chinese surname Huang, meaning "yellow" or "golden." 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 Hwang (6.36 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 last name Hwang?
Want to know how common the surname Hwang is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.