2000
#4,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,263
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Lung
A Chinese surname meaning "dragon," symbolizing power, strength, and good fortune.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,814 Americans carry the last name Lung. That puts it at #9,384 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lung 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 Lung with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,867
Census rank
#9,384
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,326 bearers of the surname Lung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9384th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lung, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.8%) and Hispanic (18.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lung
The surname LUNG has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "lungun," which translates to "lung" or "light." This suggests that the surname may have been originally given as a descriptive name, either referring to someone with lung-related health issues or perhaps someone with a strong voice or loud speaking style.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LUNG surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. Here, a certain "Hermannus Lung" is mentioned in a document from 1348.
In the 15th century, the LUNG surname appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, such as the Würzburger Hochstifts-Matrikel (Matriculation Records of the Bishopric of Würzburg) from 1468, which lists a "Johannes Lung" from the town of Kitzingen.
Notable individuals with the LUNG surname include Johann Christoph Lung (1637-1712), a German Lutheran theologian and author of several religious works. Another prominent figure was Johann Heinrich Lung (1799-1864), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscape paintings and illustrations.
In the 19th century, the LUNG surname spread beyond Germany, with records showing individuals bearing this name in other European countries. For example, Ignaz Lung (1822-1892) was an Austrian composer and conductor who worked in Vienna.
As the surname traveled, it also experienced variations in spelling, such as "Lunge" and "Lungen." One notable individual with this variant spelling was Wilhelm Lungen (1865-1938), a German architect and urban planner who designed several public buildings and housing developments in Berlin.
While the LUNG surname is relatively uncommon globally, it has maintained a presence throughout German-speaking regions and among individuals of German descent. Over the centuries, it has been carried by artists, scholars, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lung
Among Census respondents with the surname Lung, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.8%) and Hispanic (18.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lung 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 Lung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.1% · 1,400
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.8% · 1,092
- Hispanic or Latino18.3% · 610
- Two or more races4.8% · 158
- Black or African American1.6% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lung
Lung 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
#4,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,753
+490 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#9,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,326
-4,427 bearers (-57.1%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 4,806 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,496 | 7,263 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,578 | 7,753 | 2.63 | +490 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #9,384 | 3,326 | 1.11 | -4,427 bearers (-57.1%) | Down 4,806 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 Lung 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 | #4,578 | #9,384 | -105.0% |
| Count | 7,753 | 3,326 | -57.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 1.11 | -57.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lung bearers went from 7,753 to 3,326 (-57.1% change). The surname moved down 4,806 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,578 to #9,384.
FAQ
Lung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lung?
Name Census estimates that about 3,814 living Americans carry the surname Lung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,867 residents.
How common is Lung?
Lung ranks #9,384 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,326 people with the surname Lung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lung.
Has Lung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lung went from 7,753 recorded bearers to 3,326. That is a decrease of 4,427 (-57.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,578 to #9,384.
What does the Census say about the background of Lung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lung, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.8%) and Hispanic (18.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.1% (1,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (32.8%), Hispanic (18.3%). 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 Lung (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 Lung mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "dragon," symbolizing power, strength, and good fortune. 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 Lung (1.11 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 have the surname Lung?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.