2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Silavong
A surname originating from Laos meaning golden forest or golden bamboo grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Silavong. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silavong 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Silavong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Silavong
The surname SILAVONG originated in Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. It is a Lao surname that can be traced back to the 16th century during the reign of the Lan Xang Kingdom, a prominent dynasty that ruled over present-day Laos from the 14th to the 18th century.
The name SILAVONG is derived from the combination of two Lao words: "sila," which means "stone," and "vong," which translates to "circular" or "round." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a location or a geographical feature related to a circular stone formation or a circular area surrounded by stones.
Historical records from the Lan Xang Kingdom period mention individuals with the surname SILAVONG, although specific details about their roles or significance are scarce. One notable figure was Souk SILAVONG, a respected Buddhist monk who lived in the 17th century and was known for his contributions to the preservation of Lao religious and cultural traditions.
In the 18th century, during the decline of the Lan Xang Kingdom, the SILAVONG name appeared in records from the Sisaket Province, which is now part of northeastern Thailand but was once under the control of the Lan Xang Kingdom. This suggests that the surname may have originated in or near this region before spreading to other parts of Laos and neighboring countries.
Another prominent individual with the SILAVONG surname was Thao SILAVONG, a military leader who fought against the French colonial forces in Laos during the late 19th century. He played a significant role in the resistance efforts to preserve Lao independence, although his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known figures with the SILAVONG surname was Khamtay SILAVONG, a Lao politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Laos from 1978 to 1982. He played a crucial role in the early years of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, which was established after the Laotian Civil War.
While the SILAVONG surname has its roots in Laos, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora communities. Individuals with this surname can now be found in various countries, including the United States, France, and Australia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silavong
Among Census respondents with the surname Silavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Silavong 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 Silavong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.7% · 102
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- White1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silavong
Silavong 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Silavong 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silavong bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Silavong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silavong?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Silavong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Silavong?
Silavong ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Silavong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Silavong.
Has Silavong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silavong went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Silavong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Silavong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silavong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.7%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Silavong (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 Silavong mean?
A surname originating from Laos meaning golden forest or golden bamboo grove. 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 Silavong (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 last name Silavong?
Want to know how many people are called Silavong? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.