2000
#30,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 721
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Rare Last name
Shang
A Chinese surname derived from the ancient Shang dynasty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,299 Americans carry the last name Shang. That puts it at #14,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shang 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
2.3K
1 in 149,088
Census rank
#14,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,005 bearers of the surname Shang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shang
The surname SHANG has its origins in China, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "shang," which means "merchants" or "traders." The surname is closely associated with the Shang Dynasty, one of the earliest ruling dynasties in Chinese history, which reigned from around 1600 BCE to 1046 BCE.
The Shang Dynasty was centered in the Yellow River Valley, particularly in the modern-day provinces of Henan, Shandong, and Hebei. During this period, the name SHANG likely referred to individuals or families involved in mercantile activities or trading within the kingdom.
Historical references to the surname SHANG can be found in various ancient Chinese texts and records. One notable example is the "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian) written by Sima Qian, a renowned historian from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), which mentions individuals bearing the SHANG surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SHANG was Shang Yang (390 BCE - 338 BCE), a renowned statesman and philosopher during the Warring States period. He served as a prominent reformer and lawmaker in the state of Qin, laying the groundwork for the eventual unification of China under the Qin Dynasty.
Another notable figure was Shang Qu (1677 - 1753), a scholar and artist from the Qing Dynasty known for his calligraphic works and landscape paintings. His artistic contributions were highly regarded during his lifetime and continue to be celebrated in Chinese art circles.
In the realm of literature, Shang Qinghua (1892 - 1970) was a prominent writer and playwright who played a significant role in the development of modern Chinese drama. His works, including "The Thunderstorm" and "The Ye Family," explored social issues and the conflicts between tradition and modernity.
During the Ming Dynasty, the SHANG surname was also associated with a notable family of scholars and officials. Shang Zhixin (1513 - 1597) was a prominent scholar and minister who served under several Ming emperors, known for his expertise in Confucian classics and his contributions to governance.
Another influential figure was Shang Kexi (1604 - 1676), a Ming Dynasty scholar and philosopher. He was a prominent advocate of the Donglin Movement, a reformist movement that sought to uphold Confucian values and promote moral governance within the Ming court.
The surname SHANG has a rich history rooted in ancient China, with its earliest associations dating back to the Shang Dynasty and the mercantile activities of that era. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this surname have made significant contributions across various fields, including philosophy, art, literature, and governance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shang
Among Census respondents with the surname Shang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shang 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 Shang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.8% · 1,840
- White3.8% · 76
- Two or more races2.2% · 45
- Black or African American1.4% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shang
Shang 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
#23,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,079
+358 bearers (+49.7%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 7,020 places
2020
#14,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,005
+926 bearers (+85.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 9,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,552 | 721 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,532 | 1,079 | 0.37 | +358 bearers (+49.7%) | Up 7,020 places |
| 2020 | #14,354 | 2,005 | 0.67 | +926 bearers (+85.8%) | Up 9,178 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 Shang 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 | #23,532 | #14,354 | 39.0% |
| Count | 1,079 | 2,005 | 85.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.67 | 81.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shang bearers went from 1,079 to 2,005 (+85.8% change). The surname moved up 9,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,532 to #14,354.
FAQ
Shang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shang?
Name Census estimates that about 2,299 living Americans carry the surname Shang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,088 residents.
How common is Shang?
Shang ranks #14,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,005 people with the surname Shang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,299), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Shang.
Has Shang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shang went from 1,079 recorded bearers to 2,005. That is an increase of 926 (+85.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,532 to #14,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Shang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Shang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,840 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.8%), White (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Shang (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 Shang mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the ancient Shang dynasty. 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 Shang (0.67 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 last name Shang?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Shang on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.