2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salang
The surname Salang may refer to a person from the Salang Pass region in Afghanistan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Salang. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salang 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Salang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.6%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salang
The surname SALANG originated in the region of Scandinavia, primarily in Sweden and Norway, during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "sælang," which referred to a long, winding path or road. This name was likely given to individuals who lived along such paths or roads.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name SALANG can be found in the Swedish Diplomatic Codex, a collection of medieval documents dating back to the 13th century. In this codex, a person named Erling Salang is referenced in connection with a land dispute in the year 1276.
Another historical reference to the name SALANG comes from the Norwegian Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a compilation of Norwegian medieval documents. In a document from 1312, a person named Thorvald Salang is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.
During the 15th century, the SALANG name appeared in various records across Scandinavia. For instance, in the Danish Census Roll of 1458, a family by the name of Salang is listed as residing in the town of Roskilde.
One notable individual with the surname SALANG was Ingrid Salang, a Norwegian landowner and philanthropist who lived from 1525 to 1598. She was known for her generous donations to local churches and her advocacy for education in rural areas.
In the 17th century, the SALANG name gained prominence in Sweden with the birth of Gustaf Salang (1623-1692), a respected merchant and civic leader in the city of Göteborg. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the city's economic and political affairs for generations.
Another prominent figure was Erik Salang (1745-1821), a Swedish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was decorated for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
The SALANG surname has also been linked to various place names across Scandinavia, such as Salangen, a municipality in northern Norway, and Salangsdalen, a valley located in the same region. These places likely derived their names from the Old Norse word "sælang," reflecting the winding paths or roads that characterized the landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salang
Among Census respondents with the surname Salang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.6%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Salang 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 Salang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.5% · 86
- Two or more races12.6% · 14
- White6.3% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salang
Salang appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Salang 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salang bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Salang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salang?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Salang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Salang?
Salang ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Salang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Salang.
Has Salang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salang went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Salang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.6%) and White (6.3%). 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 Salang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.5%), Two or More Races (12.6%), White (6.3%). 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 Salang (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 Salang mean?
The surname Salang may refer to a person from the Salang Pass region in Afghanistan. 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 Salang (0.04 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 surname Salang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.