2000
#22,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Miao
A Chinese surname believed to originate from an ancient minority ethnic group.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,281 Americans carry the last name Miao. That puts it at #10,664 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miao 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
3.3K
1 in 104,466
Census rank
#10,664
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,861 bearers of the surname Miao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10664th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miao
The surname "MIAO" has its origins in China, where it can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have originated from the Chinese word "miao" which means "temple" or "shrine". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a temple or shrine.
In ancient Chinese records, the earliest known mention of the surname "MIAO" dates back to the 8th century AD. It appears in a manuscript detailing the lineage of a noble family from the city of Changsha, located in the modern-day Hunan province.
The name "MIAO" has also been linked to certain place names in China. For instance, the city of Miaozhou (now known as Youzhou) in the Sichuan province was once referred to as "Miao" during the Tang Dynasty. It is possible that the surname may have derived from this or similar place names.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname "MIAO" was Miao Chuanxuan, a renowned scholar and poet who lived during the Tang Dynasty (619-683 AD). He is remembered for his contributions to the development of Chinese literature and his influence on the literary scene of his time.
Another notable figure was Miao Zhicheng, a military general and strategist who served under the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). He played a crucial role in defending the empire against the Khitan-Liao invasions and is celebrated for his tactical brilliance and leadership on the battlefield.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), Miao Yingdou was a prominent scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism. His works and teachings had a lasting impact on the intellectual and philosophical discourse of his era.
In the realm of arts and culture, Miao Jiahui (1818-1901) was a renowned painter and calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty. His works are highly regarded for their elegant brushstrokes and mastery of traditional Chinese painting techniques.
Lastly, Miao Baoju (1905-1989) was a prominent Chinese economist and educator who played a pivotal role in shaping the country's economic policies and theories in the 20th century. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of modern economic thought in China.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miao
Among Census respondents with the surname Miao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Miao 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 Miao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.5% · 2,705
- White2.7% · 78
- Two or more races1.6% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miao
Miao 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
#16,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,677
+624 bearers (+59.3%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 5,800 places
2020
#10,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,861
+1,184 bearers (+70.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 6,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,753 | 1,053 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,953 | 1,677 | 0.57 | +624 bearers (+59.3%) | Up 5,800 places |
| 2020 | #10,664 | 2,861 | 0.96 | +1,184 bearers (+70.6%) | Up 6,289 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 Miao 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 | #16,953 | #10,664 | 37.1% |
| Count | 1,677 | 2,861 | 70.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.96 | 67.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miao bearers went from 1,677 to 2,861 (+70.6% change). The surname moved up 6,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,953 to #10,664.
FAQ
Miao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miao?
Name Census estimates that about 3,281 living Americans carry the surname Miao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,466 residents.
How common is Miao?
Miao ranks #10,664 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,861 people with the surname Miao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Miao.
Has Miao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miao went from 1,677 recorded bearers to 2,861. That is an increase of 1,184 (+70.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,953 to #10,664.
What does the Census say about the background of Miao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Miao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (2,705 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.5%), White (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Miao (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 Miao mean?
A Chinese surname believed to originate from an ancient minority ethnic group. 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 Miao (0.96 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 share the surname Miao?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.