2000
#17,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Khuu
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Xu, meaning "slowly" or "gently."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,624 Americans carry the last name Khuu. That puts it at #12,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,623 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Khuu 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.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,623
Census rank
#12,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,288 bearers of the surname Khuu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Khuu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Khuu
The surname KHUU is of Vietnamese origin, tracing its roots back to the early 15th century during the Later Le dynasty. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Vietnam, particularly in the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang. The name is thought to be derived from the Vietnamese word "khuu," which means "to bend" or "to curve," potentially referring to a geographic feature or a family trade associated with the name's progenitors.
Historical records show that the name KHUU appeared in various local administrative documents and land registries from the 15th century onwards, indicating its presence among the Vietnamese nobility and landowning class. One notable early mention of the name can be found in the "Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu," a historical annals of the Dai Viet kingdom, where a certain Khuu Van Tien is documented as a high-ranking mandarin during the reign of Emperor Le Thanh Tong in the late 15th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname KHUU can be traced back to the village of Khuu Xa in the Bac Ninh province, where several families with this surname have resided for generations. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name was Khuu Van Khanh, a renowned scholar and poet who lived during the 16th century and served as a high-ranking official in the court of Emperor Le Hien Tong.
Throughout history, the KHUU surname has been associated with several notable figures. Khuu Dinh Huynh (1792-1841) was a prominent scholar and philosopher known for his contributions to the Nho Giao (Confucian) tradition in Vietnam. Khuu Trung Hau (1863-1916) was a respected military leader who played a crucial role in the resistance against French colonial rule in the late 19th century. Khuu Thi Nhu Quynh (1924-2018), better known by her pen name Nhu Quynh, was a celebrated poet and writer who won numerous literary awards for her works.
Other notable individuals with the KHUU surname include Khuu Huu Nhu (1920-2003), a renowned linguist and scholar of Vietnamese language and literature, and Khuu Huu Tho (1928-2008), a prominent artist and painter who helped shape the modern Vietnamese art scene in the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Khuu
Among Census respondents with the surname Khuu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Khuu 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 Khuu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.2% · 2,179
- Two or more races2.4% · 54
- White1.1% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Khuu
Khuu 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
#15,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,949
+505 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 2,744 places
2020
#12,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,288
+339 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 2,273 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,871 | 1,444 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,127 | 1,949 | 0.66 | +505 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 2,744 places |
| 2020 | #12,854 | 2,288 | 0.77 | +339 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 2,273 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 Khuu 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 | #15,127 | #12,854 | 15.0% |
| Count | 1,949 | 2,288 | 17.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.77 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Khuu bearers went from 1,949 to 2,288 (+17.4% change). The surname moved up 2,273 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,127 to #12,854.
FAQ
Khuu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Khuu?
Name Census estimates that about 2,624 living Americans carry the surname Khuu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,623 residents.
How common is Khuu?
Khuu ranks #12,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,288 people with the surname Khuu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,624), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Khuu.
Has Khuu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Khuu went from 1,949 recorded bearers to 2,288. That is an increase of 339 (+17.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,127 to #12,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Khuu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Khuu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and White (1.1%). 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 Khuu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (2,179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Khuu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%), White (1.1%). 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 Khuu (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 Khuu mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Xu, meaning "slowly" or "gently." 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 Khuu (0.77 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 are called Khuu?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Khuu at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.