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

Ouyang, 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 Ouyang surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ouyang in America

Ouyang is the 15005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ouyang surname appeared 1,968 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ouyang.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ouyang 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 Ouyang

The surname OUYANG is of Chinese origin and dates back to ancient times. It is thought to have originated from the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC). The name is derived from the old Chinese words "ou" meaning "black" and "yang" meaning "sun", reflecting the region's dark and sunlit terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the OUYANG name appears in the historical text "Records of the Grand Historian" by Sima Qian, which mentions an OUYANG official serving during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). The name is also found in genealogical records from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), suggesting its use by noble families and scholars.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the OUYANG name was particularly prominent, with several notable figures bearing the surname. OUYANG Xiu (1007-1072 AD) was a renowned statesman, historian, and calligrapher who served as a high-ranking official and authored works such as the "New Book of Tang". OUYANG Xuan (624-705 AD), an earlier Tang Dynasty scholar, is credited with compiling the influential literary anthology "Book of Literature".

The OUYANG name also has connections to various place names in China, such as OUYANG County in Zhejiang Province and OUYANG Town in Anhui Province. These locations likely derived their names from earlier settlements or communities established by OUYANG families.

Other notable individuals with the OUYANG surname include OUYANG Shanzhi (1833-1890), a Qing Dynasty scholar and educator who advocated for modern educational reforms, and OUYANG Yu (1955-), a contemporary Chinese author and playwright known for works like "Accidental Nudity".

Throughout its long history, the OUYANG surname has maintained a strong presence and association with scholarly pursuits, literary achievements, and cultural significance in China.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ouyang

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!