Phương last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Phương

A Vietnamese surname meaning "region" or "area".

Phương, 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 Phương surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phương in America

Phương is the 19834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phương surname appeared 1,355 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 Phương.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phương 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 19834 22212 -11.31%
Count 1,355 1,084 22.22%
Proportion per 100k 0.46 0.40 13.95%

The history of the last name Phương

The surname Phuong is of Vietnamese origin, with roots that can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Vietnam, particularly in the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang.

Phuong is derived from the Vietnamese word "phương," which means "direction" or "region." In ancient times, it was commonly used as a place name or a descriptive term to identify a particular area or locality. The earliest records of the name Phuong can be found in local administrative documents and land ownership records from the Le Dynasty (1428-1788).

One of the earliest known references to the name Phuong is found in the "Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư" (Complete Annals of Đại Việt), a historical text compiled in the 15th century. This text mentions a prominent figure named Phuong Duc Luan, who served as a high-ranking official during the reign of Emperor Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497).

Another notable individual bearing the surname Phuong was Phuong Khac Khoan (1528-1613), a renowned Vietnamese Confucian scholar and philosopher. He is credited with establishing the Đại Việt Sử Lược (Brief History of Đại Việt), which became an important historical reference work.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named Phuong Dinh Chu (1607-1682) gained recognition as a skilled military strategist and general during the Trịnh-Nguyễn War, a prolonged conflict between the ruling families of northern and southern Vietnam.

During the 18th century, Phuong Dinh Cong (1720-1798) was a prominent Vietnamese poet and scholar who made significant contributions to the development of the Nôm script, an ancient Vietnamese writing system.

Another individual with the surname Phuong who left his mark on Vietnamese history was Phuong Xuan Bao (1825-1896), a revered Buddhist monk and spiritual leader who played a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of Vietnamese Buddhism during the 19th century.

While the surname Phuong has its roots in Vietnam, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical references and notable figures mentioned above primarily pertain to the Vietnamese context and the rich cultural heritage associated with this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phương

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

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 Phương was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 0.81% 11
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 97.56% 1,322
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.03% 14
Hispanic Origin 0.37% 5

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 0.81% 1.01% -21.98%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 97.56% 96.68% 0.91%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.03% 2.03% -65.36%
Hispanic 0.37% (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 Phương was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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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!

"Phương last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/phuong-surname-popularity/.

"Phương last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/phuong-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

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

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