2000
#650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.67
Common Last name
Liu
A Chinese surname meaning "kill," "destroy," or "hew," likely referring to a warrior or weapon maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 145,929 Americans carry the last name Liu. That puts it at #232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 42.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liu 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 Liu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
146K
1 in 2,349
Census rank
#232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
42.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127,257 bearers of the surname Liu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 42.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liu
The surname Liu has its roots in China and can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "柳", which means willow tree. The name originally referred to people who lived near willow groves or worked with willow branches.
In ancient China, surnames were often derived from geographic features, occupations, or personal characteristics. The Liu surname is believed to have originated in various regions, including the present-day provinces of Hebei, Shandong, and Anhui.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Liu surname can be found in historical texts such as the Book of Han, which documents notable individuals from the Han Dynasty. One prominent figure was Liu Bang (256 BC - 195 BC), the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, who was originally a peasant but rose to power after the collapse of the Qin Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD), the Liu surname gained further prominence. Liu Zongyuan (773 AD - 819 AD), a celebrated poet and essayist, was one of the most influential literary figures of his time. Another notable Liu was Liu Yu (974 AD - 1028 AD), a renowned military general and strategist who helped establish the Song Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD), the Liu surname was associated with several influential scholars and officials. Liu Ji (1311 AD - 1375 AD) was a prominent Neo-Confucian philosopher and educator, while Liu Zhi (1670 AD - 1724 AD) was a renowned scholar and author of the Qing Dynasty.
Other notable individuals with the Liu surname include Liu Xiang (77 BC - 6 BC), a scholar and astronomer during the Western Han Dynasty, and Liu Xiaobo (1955 AD - 2017 AD), a renowned human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The Liu surname has been widespread throughout China for centuries and has also been adopted by Chinese communities around the world. Its enduring presence reflects the rich cultural and historical significance of this ancient name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liu
Among Census respondents with the surname Liu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Liu 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 Liu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.3% · 121,269
- White2.3% · 2,967
- Two or more races1.4% · 1,796
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 711
- Black or African American0.4% · 488
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liu
Liu 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
#411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,370
+30,705 bearers (+64.4%)
Per 100,000 26.57
Rank movement Up 239 places
2020
#232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,257
+48,887 bearers (+62.4%)
Per 100,000 42.58
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #650 | 47,665 | 17.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #411 | 78,370 | 26.57 | +30,705 bearers (+64.4%) | Up 239 places |
| 2020 | #232 | 127,257 | 42.58 | +48,887 bearers (+62.4%) | Up 179 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 Liu 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 | #411 | #232 | 43.6% |
| Count | 78,370 | 127,257 | 62.4% |
| Per 100K | 26.57 | 42.58 | 60.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liu bearers went from 78,370 to 127,257 (+62.4% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #411 to #232.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Liu
FAQ
Liu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liu?
Name Census estimates that about 145,929 living Americans carry the surname Liu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,349 residents.
How common is Liu?
Liu ranks #232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 42.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 43 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 127,257 people with the surname Liu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (145,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 42.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 42.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 43 of them to have the surname Liu.
Has Liu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liu went from 78,370 recorded bearers to 127,257. That is an increase of 48,887 (+62.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #411 to #232.
What does the Census say about the background of Liu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) 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 Liu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (121,269 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.3%), White (2.3%), 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 Liu (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 Liu mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "kill," "destroy," or "hew," likely referring to a warrior or weapon maker. 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 Liu (42.58 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 Liu?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.