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

Qiao, 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 Qiao surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Qiao in America

Qiao is the 28380th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Qiao surname appeared 841 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 Qiao.

We can also compare 2010 data for Qiao 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 Qiao

The surname Qiao originated in China and has its roots dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "桥" (qiao), which means "bridge" in English. The name was likely given to individuals who lived near a bridge or worked as bridge builders or caretakers.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the name Qiao appeared in several historical records and documents. One notable example is the "Song Huiyao," a collection of administrative records from the Song period, which mentions several individuals with the surname Qiao holding official positions.

The earliest recorded individual with the surname Qiao is Qiao Shao (乔邵), a renowned scholar and official who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). He served as a governor and was known for his literary works and contributions to education.

Another notable figure with the surname Qiao is Qiao Zhizhi (乔治治), a military general and strategist from the late Tang Dynasty (9th century). He played a significant role in suppressing rebellions and securing the empire's borders.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the name Qiao was associated with several prominent figures, including Qiao Gu (乔谷), a renowned painter and calligrapher (1495-1588), and Qiao Guanhua (乔观化), a respected Confucian scholar and educator (1572-1627).

In more recent history, Qiao Shi (乔石, 1924-2015) was a high-ranking official in the Communist Party of China, serving as the chairman of the National People's Congress from 1993 to 1998.

Qiao Xing (乔兴, 1923-2021) was a prominent aerospace engineer and academician, known for his contributions to China's space program and the development of the Shenzhou spacecraft.

The surname Qiao has also been associated with various place names and locations in China, such as Qiao County in Hebei Province and Qiaoxi District in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province. These place names often reflect the presence of bridges or the historical significance of the name in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Qiao

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

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

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

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