Phouthavong last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Phouthavong

A surname of Lao origin for someone who lived in a region with an abundance of cotton trees.

Phouthavong, 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 Phouthavong surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phouthavong in America

Phouthavong is the 55619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phouthavong surname appeared 369 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 Phouthavong.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phouthavong 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 55619 60230 -7.96%
Count 369 313 16.42%
Proportion per 100k 0.13 0.12 8.00%

The history of the last name Phouthavong

The surname PHOUTHAVONG originated in the country of Laos, a nation located in Southeast Asia. It is a Lao name, derived from the Lao language, which is the official and national language of Laos. The name PHOUTHAVONG likely has its roots in the historical Lan Xang kingdom, which ruled over present-day Laos from the 14th to the 18th century.

PHOUTHAVONG is believed to be a combination of two Lao words, "phou" meaning mountain or hill, and "thavong" meaning gold or golden. This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular geographical location or region in Laos, possibly a place associated with mountains or hills known for their gold deposits or mining activities.

While there are no known historical records or manuscripts specifically mentioning the name PHOUTHAVONG from ancient times, it is likely that the name has been in existence for several centuries, as Lao surnames have been in use since the Lan Xang period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname PHOUTHAVONG was Khamphay Phouthavong, a prominent Lao politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos from 1975 to 1986. Another notable figure was Sisavath Phouthavong, a Lao diplomat and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Laos from 1992 to 1998.

In the field of literature, Phouvong Phouthavong (born 1938) is a well-known Lao poet and author, recognized for his contributions to Lao literature and cultural preservation. Khamchanh Phouthavong (1944-2010) was a prominent Lao filmmaker and director, known for his work in promoting Lao cinema and storytelling.

Another individual with the surname PHOUTHAVONG is Thongdy Phouthavong, a Lao-American entrepreneur and businessman who founded the popular Lao restaurant chain Sapp Coffee Shop, which has locations across the United States and several other countries.

While the surname PHOUTHAVONG is primarily found in Laos and among the Lao diaspora, it has also been carried by individuals of Lao descent living in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with significant Lao immigrant communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phouthavong

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

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 Phouthavong was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.44% 9
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 90.79% 335
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 5.96% 22
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Phouthavong has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.44% 1.92% 23.85%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 90.79% 92.65% -2.03%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 5.96% 4.47% 28.57%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Phouthavong last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 21, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/phouthavong-surname-popularity/.

"Phouthavong last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/phouthavong-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 November, 2024

Phouthavong last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/phouthavong-surname-popularity/.

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