2000
#54,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Rare Last name
Qiao
A Chinese surname meaning "bridge" or "suburb".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,143 Americans carry the last name Qiao. That puts it at #15,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Qiao 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
2.1K
1 in 159,941
Census rank
#15,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,869 bearers of the surname Qiao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Qiao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Qiao
Among Census respondents with the surname Qiao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Qiao 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 Qiao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.8% · 1,791
- White2.7% · 51
- Two or more races0.9% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Qiao
Qiao 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
#28,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 841
+485 bearers (+136.2%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Up 25,889 places
2020
#15,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,869
+1,028 bearers (+122.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 13,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,269 | 356 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,380 | 841 | 0.29 | +485 bearers (+136.2%) | Up 25,889 places |
| 2020 | #15,142 | 1,869 | 0.63 | +1,028 bearers (+122.2%) | Up 13,238 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 Qiao 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 | #28,380 | #15,142 | 46.6% |
| Count | 841 | 1,869 | 122.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.63 | 115.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Qiao bearers went from 841 to 1,869 (+122.2% change). The surname moved up 13,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,380 to #15,142.
FAQ
Qiao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Qiao?
Name Census estimates that about 2,143 living Americans carry the surname Qiao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,941 residents.
How common is Qiao?
Qiao ranks #15,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,869 people with the surname Qiao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Qiao.
Has Qiao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Qiao went from 841 recorded bearers to 1,869. That is an increase of 1,028 (+122.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #28,380 to #15,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Qiao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Qiao, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Qiao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (1,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Qiao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.8%), White (2.7%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Qiao (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 Qiao mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "bridge" or "suburb". 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 Qiao (0.63 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 share the surname Qiao?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.