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

Sanouvong, 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 Sanouvong surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sanouvong in America

Sanouvong is the 132206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sanouvong surname appeared 128 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 Sanouvong.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sanouvong 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 Sanouvong

The surname SANOUVONG originates from Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. It is a Lao name that likely emerged in the 16th or 17th century during the period of the Lan Xang Kingdom. The name may be derived from the Lao words "sā" meaning "to prosper" and "nū̀ng" meaning "town" or "village," possibly indicating a connection to a prosperous or notable settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SANOUVONG name can be found in historical accounts from the early 19th century. It was the surname of Prince Sanouvong, a prominent figure in Lao history who led a rebellion against the Siamese (Thai) occupation of Vientiane in 1828. Although ultimately unsuccessful, his uprising is seen as a significant event in the struggle for Lao independence.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the SANOUVONG surname held influential positions in the royal court of Luang Prabang, the former capital of the Kingdom of Laos. These include Ratchavong SANOUVONG, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the early 1900s, and Boun Khong SANOUVONG, a diplomat and member of the Lao royal family.

Another notable figure was Khamfan SANOUVONG, a Lao politician and diplomat who played a key role in the country's transition to independence from France in the mid-20th century. He served as the first Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos from 1951 to 1954.

In more recent times, Chao Maha Oupahat SANOUVONG, born in 1938, was a prominent member of the Lao royal family and served as the Minister of Information and Tourism in the 1970s.

The SANOUVONG surname has also been associated with literary figures, such as Sombath SANOUVONG, a Lao writer and journalist active in the mid-20th century, whose works explored themes of Lao identity and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sanouvong

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

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

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

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