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

Kiang, 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 Kiang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kiang in America

Kiang is the 41799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kiang surname appeared 520 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kiang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kiang 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 Kiang

The surname Kiang is believed to have originated in China, specifically in the Guangdong province. It is thought to be derived from the Cantonese word "keung," which means "river" or "stream." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to people who lived near a river or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kiang can be found in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) historical records. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Keung" or "Keong," reflecting the Cantonese pronunciation.

In the 17th century, the name Kiang appeared in several Chinese manuscripts and records, indicating that families with this surname were present in various regions of China. One notable example is the scholar and calligrapher Kiang Ying-sheng (1645-1719), who was renowned for his expertise in the art of Chinese calligraphy.

As Chinese immigrants began to settle in different parts of the world, the name Kiang spread to other countries. In the 19th century, there were records of individuals with the surname Kiang living in Malaysia and Singapore, likely descendants of Chinese traders or settlers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kiang outside of China can be found in the British colonial records of Malaya (now Malaysia) from the late 19th century. A prominent figure with this surname was Kiang Yew Hooi (1876-1949), a successful businessman and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the Chinese community in Malaya.

Another notable individual with the surname Kiang was Kiang Wan-nien (1910-1988), a Chinese-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He was born in China but later immigrated to the United States, where he worked at various prestigious institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley.

In more recent times, the name Kiang has been associated with several accomplished individuals in various fields. For example, Kiang Hsinchi (1925-2019) was a renowned Chinese-American architect and urban planner who designed numerous buildings and urban developments in Asia and the United States.

Overall, the surname Kiang has a rich history that can be traced back to ancient China, where it was likely derived from a word related to rivers or streams. Over the centuries, the name has spread to different parts of the world, carried by Chinese immigrants and their descendants, and has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, from calligraphy and business to science and architecture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kiang

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

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

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

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