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

Ngoun, 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 Ngoun surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ngoun in America

Ngoun is the 125282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ngoun surname appeared 137 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 Ngoun.

The history of the last name Ngoun

The surname "NGOUN" is believed to have originated in the region of Laos, Southeast Asia, during the early 19th century. It is a variation of the more common Lao surname "Ngoun," which is derived from the Lao word "ngoun" meaning "silver" or "money."

This surname was likely adopted by families involved in trades related to silversmithing, metalworking, or money-lending. The variation "NGOUN" with the capitalized letters may have emerged as a way to distinguish certain branches of the family or as a result of transcription differences when the name was recorded in official documents.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "NGOUN" can be found in a Lao manuscript from the mid-19th century, which mentions a merchant named Thongsy NGOUN who traded in silver and other precious metals. This document suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

During the late 19th century, as the French colonial presence in Laos grew, some individuals with the surname "NGOUN" may have adopted French spellings or variations of their name, such as "Ngoun" or "Ngoune," to reflect the influence of the colonial administration.

Notable individuals with the surname "NGOUN" throughout history include:

1. Phoumi NGOUN (1920-1985), a Lao military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Laos from 1951 to 1954 and again from 1960 to 1962.

2. Bounkhong NGOUN (1932-2014), a Lao politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos from 1975 to 1986.

3. Kaysone NGOUN (1945-2022), a Lao artist and sculptor known for his works depicting traditional Lao culture and life.

4. Thongma NGOUN (1905-1978), a Lao scholar and writer who authored several books on Lao history and literature.

5. Siho NGOUN (1880-1965), a prominent Lao merchant and landowner in the early 20th century, who was known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local schools and temples.

While the surname "NGOUN" has its roots in Laos, it is likely that individuals with this name have since migrated and settled in various parts of the world, carrying the legacy of their family name with them.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ngoun

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

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 Ngoun 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.

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

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

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