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

Liou, 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 Liou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Liou in America

Liou is the 22201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Liou surname appeared 1,162 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 Liou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Liou 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 Liou

The surname LIOU has its origins in China, where it first emerged in the 7th century AD during the Tang Dynasty. It is believed to have originated from the Chinese word "liu," which means "willow tree," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or had some connection to willow trees.

In ancient Chinese records, the name LIOU can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), where several prominent individuals bore this surname. One such individual was Li Bai (701-762 AD), a renowned poet and scholar who is considered one of the greatest literary figures in Chinese history.

The name LIOU also appears in various Chinese manuscripts and historical documents from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). During these periods, the name was associated with several notable figures, including Liou Qing (920-980 AD), a renowned military strategist and general, and Liou Xiang (1615-1675 AD), a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher.

As the Chinese diaspora spread across the globe, the surname LIOU was carried to various parts of the world, particularly in Southeast Asia and North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LIOU outside of China can be found in the historical records of Vietnam, where it was introduced during the Chinese occupation of the region in the 1st century AD.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname LIOU have made significant contributions in various fields. For example, Liou Haisu (1896-1994) was a prominent Chinese painter and calligrapher, renowned for his innovative techniques and artistic mastery. Another notable figure was Liou Qinglin (1910-1997), a Chinese mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of differential geometry.

In the Western world, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LIOU can be found in the United States, where it was brought by Chinese immigrants during the 19th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname in the US was Liou Ping (1830-1905), a businessman and community leader who played a pivotal role in establishing Chinatown in San Francisco.

While the surname LIOU has its roots in ancient China, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of this name making significant contributions in various fields, from literature and art to mathematics and community leadership.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Liou

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

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

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

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