2000
#13,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Kuang
A Chinese surname meaning "wide, vast, expansive" or "broad-minded, magnanimous," referring to a place name or personal qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,501 Americans carry the last name Kuang. That puts it at #5,868 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuang 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
6.5K
1 in 52,723
Census rank
#5,868
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,669 bearers of the surname Kuang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5868th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Hispanic (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuang
The surname KUANG has its origins in China, tracing back to the 6th century AD during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It is believed to be derived from the ancient Chinese word "kuàng," meaning "broad" or "expansive," possibly referring to a large geographic area or a metaphorical sense of grandeur.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KUANG surname can be found in the historical text "Book of Tang," which documented the lives of prominent figures during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). In this work, there are references to individuals bearing the KUANG surname, suggesting its existence during that era.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the KUANG surname gained prominence, particularly in the regions of present-day Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Several notable figures with this surname emerged, including KUANG Yongjian (1007-1080), a celebrated scholar and poet who served as an official in the imperial court.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the KUANG surname was widespread across various regions of China. One prominent figure was KUANG Guanyu (1501-1565), a renowned military general and strategist who played a crucial role in suppressing peasant uprisings during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), the KUANG surname continued to be prevalent, and several notable individuals emerged. One such figure was KUANG Qizheng (1629-1698), a scholar and statesman who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court and contributed to the compilation of the "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries," a monumental literary work.
Another notable bearer of the KUANG surname was KUANG Hongzhang (1824-1902), a prominent diplomat and statesman who played a significant role in modernizing China's foreign affairs and negotiating treaties with Western powers in the late 19th century.
Throughout its long history, the KUANG surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China was historically known as "Kuangxi," which may have been derived from the surname or vice versa.
While the KUANG surname has a rich history spanning centuries in China, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on the surname itself and does not delve into its use as a given name or provide recent census data, as requested.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuang
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Hispanic (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuang 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 Kuang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.8% · 5,546
- White1.0% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 30
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
- Two or more races0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuang
Kuang 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
#8,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,767
+1,696 bearers (+81.9%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 4,761 places
2020
#5,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,669
+1,902 bearers (+50.5%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Up 2,844 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,473 | 2,071 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,712 | 3,767 | 1.28 | +1,696 bearers (+81.9%) | Up 4,761 places |
| 2020 | #5,868 | 5,669 | 1.90 | +1,902 bearers (+50.5%) | Up 2,844 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 Kuang 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 | #8,712 | #5,868 | 32.6% |
| Count | 3,767 | 5,669 | 50.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.90 | 48.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuang bearers went from 3,767 to 5,669 (+50.5% change). The surname moved up 2,844 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,712 to #5,868.
FAQ
Kuang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuang?
Name Census estimates that about 6,501 living Americans carry the surname Kuang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,723 residents.
How common is Kuang?
Kuang ranks #5,868 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,669 people with the surname Kuang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,501), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kuang.
Has Kuang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuang went from 3,767 recorded bearers to 5,669. That is an increase of 1,902 (+50.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,712 to #5,868.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Hispanic (0.5%). 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 Kuang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.8% (5,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.8%), White (1.0%), Hispanic (0.5%). 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 Kuang (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 Kuang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "wide, vast, expansive" or "broad-minded, magnanimous," referring to a place name or personal qualities. 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 Kuang (1.90 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 Americans have the surname Kuang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.