2000
#15,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,781
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Phu
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Pu, meaning "simplicity" or "plain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,718 Americans carry the last name Phu. That puts it at #12,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phu 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
2.7K
1 in 126,105
Census rank
#12,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,370 bearers of the surname Phu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phu
The surname PHU is believed to have its origins in the ancient Khmer civilization of present-day Cambodia, dating back to the 6th century CE. It was originally a locational name, derived from the Khmer word "phu" meaning "hill" or "mountain," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name lived in a hilly or mountainous region.
During the Khmer Empire, which flourished from the 9th to the 15th century, the name PHU was associated with noble families and individuals of high social status. It is found in several ancient Khmer inscriptions and manuscripts, such as the Angkor Wat temple inscriptions, which date back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name PHU is found in the Khmer chronicle "Khun Chhuan," which mentions a powerful military commander named Phu Srei from the 14th century. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence during the Khmer Empire's reign.
As the Khmer civilization declined in the 15th century, many families bearing the name PHU migrated to neighboring regions, particularly in present-day Thailand and Laos. In these regions, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Pu" or "Phoo," but the essential meaning remained the same.
Notable individuals with the surname PHU include Phu Srey Rath (1923-1973), a prominent Cambodian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations. Another notable bearer of this name was Phu Samrit (1900-1968), a Thai military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1959 to 1963.
In the 19th century, the name PHU was also found in parts of southern China, particularly in the Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, where it was likely adopted by ethnic Khmer or Thai communities that had settled in these regions. One notable figure from this period was Phu Tong (1865-1932), a Chinese revolutionary and politician who played a significant role in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911.
While the surname PHU is relatively uncommon outside of Southeast Asia, it has maintained a strong presence in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, where it continues to be associated with its ancient Khmer roots and the historical significance of the region's hill and mountain settlements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phu
Among Census respondents with the surname Phu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Phu 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 Phu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.0% · 2,275
- Two or more races2.2% · 51
- White1.0% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phu
Phu 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
#13,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,230
+449 bearers (+25.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 1,594 places
2020
#12,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
+140 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 1,101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,187 | 1,781 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,593 | 2,230 | 0.76 | +449 bearers (+25.2%) | Up 1,594 places |
| 2020 | #12,492 | 2,370 | 0.79 | +140 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 1,101 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 Phu 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 | #13,593 | #12,492 | 8.1% |
| Count | 2,230 | 2,370 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.79 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phu bearers went from 2,230 to 2,370 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 1,101 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,593 to #12,492.
FAQ
Phu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phu?
Name Census estimates that about 2,718 living Americans carry the surname Phu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,105 residents.
How common is Phu?
Phu ranks #12,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,370 people with the surname Phu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Phu.
Has Phu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phu went from 2,230 recorded bearers to 2,370. That is an increase of 140 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,593 to #12,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Phu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (1.0%). 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 Phu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (2,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%), White (1.0%). 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 Phu (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 Phu mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Pu, meaning "simplicity" or "plain." 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 Phu (0.79 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 have the last name Phu?
If you just want to know how many people are called Phu, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.