2000
#5,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Uncommon Last name
Liao
A Chinese surname meaning "bright" or "distant," referring to either a city in Shandong or a river in Henan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,871 Americans carry the last name Liao. That puts it at #3,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,630 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liao 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 Liao with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,630
Census rank
#3,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,224 bearers of the surname Liao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liao
The surname Liao originated in China and dates back to at least the 10th century. It is derived from the name of the Liao dynasty, which ruled over parts of northern China and regions of modern-day Mongolia, Russia and Korea from 907 to 1125 AD. The Liao dynasty was founded by the Khitan people, an ethnic minority group in northern China.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Liao can be found in the historical records of the Tang Dynasty, which preceded the Liao Dynasty. These records refer to individuals with the surname Liao who held positions of power and influence within the government and military during that time period.
In the early 11th century, the Liao Dynasty established its capital city of Shangjing, located in what is now Inner Mongolia. This city became a center of power and culture for the Liao people, and it is likely that many individuals bearing the surname Liao lived and worked there during this period.
One notable individual with the surname Liao was Liao Zhongkai, a prominent military leader and statesman who lived during the late 16th century. He played a crucial role in the suppression of the peasant uprisings that threatened the Ming Dynasty's rule in northern China.
Another famous bearer of the Liao surname was Liao Bing, a Chinese painter and calligrapher who lived during the early 20th century. He was renowned for his mastery of traditional Chinese brush painting techniques and his unique artistic style.
In the realm of literature, the poet and writer Liao Yiwu, born in 1958, is a significant figure. He is known for his works that expose the harsh realities of life in China during the Cultural Revolution and for his advocacy of human rights and freedom of expression.
The surname Liao has also been associated with several prominent scientists and academics throughout history. One example is Liao Bangzhi, a 20th-century mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics and was recognized for his work on the unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics.
It is worth noting that the surname Liao has also been adopted by various ethnic groups outside of China, particularly in regions that were once part of or influenced by the Liao Dynasty, such as parts of modern-day Russia and Korea.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liao
Among Census respondents with the surname Liao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Liao 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 Liao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.6% · 10,731
- White2.0% · 220
- Two or more races1.4% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 82
- Black or African American0.3% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liao
Liao 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
#4,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,482
+2,711 bearers (+47.0%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Up 1,357 places
2020
#3,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,224
+2,742 bearers (+32.3%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Up 1,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,534 | 5,771 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,177 | 8,482 | 2.88 | +2,711 bearers (+47.0%) | Up 1,357 places |
| 2020 | #3,131 | 11,224 | 3.76 | +2,742 bearers (+32.3%) | Up 1,046 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 Liao 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 | #4,177 | #3,131 | 25.0% |
| Count | 8,482 | 11,224 | 32.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.88 | 3.76 | 30.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liao bearers went from 8,482 to 11,224 (+32.3% change). The surname moved up 1,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,177 to #3,131.
FAQ
Liao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liao?
Name Census estimates that about 12,871 living Americans carry the surname Liao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,630 residents.
How common is Liao?
Liao ranks #3,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,224 people with the surname Liao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,871), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Liao.
Has Liao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liao went from 8,482 recorded bearers to 11,224. That is an increase of 2,742 (+32.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,177 to #3,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Liao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Liao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (10,731 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.6%), White (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Liao (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 Liao mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "bright" or "distant," referring to either a city in Shandong or a river in Henan. 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 Liao (3.76 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 Liao?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Liao on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.