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

Neang, 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 Neang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neang in America

Neang is the 38389th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neang surname appeared 577 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 Neang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neang 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 Neang

The surname NEANG has its origins in the Khmer language of Cambodia, dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire which ruled over much of mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Khmer word "neang" meaning "lady" or "woman", and was likely originally used as a title or honorific before becoming a hereditary surname.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the NEANG surname can be found in stone inscriptions and palm leaf manuscripts from the Angkorian period, such as the 10th-century inscriptions at the Preah Vihear temple complex near the modern-day border with Thailand. These inscriptions often listed names of elite families and individuals associated with the royal court and Buddhist monasteries.

One notable historical figure bearing the NEANG surname was Neang Neath, a 16th-century Cambodian princess and daughter of King Barom Reachea II. She is mentioned in several Khmer chronicles, including the "Nong Chan Khmer Chronicle", and is known for her role in negotiating a peace treaty with the neighboring Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya.

In the 17th century, a French missionary named Gabriel Quiroga de San Antonio recorded the NEANG surname in his accounts of his travels through Cambodia, noting its association with nobility and high social status.

Another notable NEANG was Neang Pok, a 19th-century Cambodian poet and writer who is considered one of the most influential figures in modern Khmer literature. Her works, which often dealt with themes of love, nature, and Buddhist philosophy, have been widely studied and anthologized.

In the 20th century, Neang Rath (1925-2014) was a prominent Cambodian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to several nations, including the United States and France. She played a key role in international efforts to resolve the Cambodian civil war and was known for her advocacy of human rights and democracy.

While the NEANG surname is most closely associated with Cambodia and the Khmer people, it has also been found in various spellings and variations among ethnic Khmer communities in neighboring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, reflecting the historic spread and influence of the Khmer Empire throughout the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neang

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

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

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

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