2000
#7,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,381
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Strang
A Scottish and English locational surname derived from places meaning "strong" or "strange."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,657 Americans carry the last name Strang. That puts it at #7,831 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strang 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Strang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,600
Census rank
#7,831
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,061 bearers of the surname Strang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7831st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strang, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strang
The surname Strang originated in Scotland, deriving from the old Scottish word "strang" which means strong or fortified. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, referring to someone who lived in or near a fortified place or stronghold.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a Robert Strang is mentioned in the records of Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1296. The name is also found in various old Scottish charters and manuscripts from this period.
One notable figure was Sir John Strang, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. He was awarded lands in Ayrshire for his loyalty and bravery.
Another early bearer of the name was William Strang, a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who is recorded in the Burgh Records of Edinburgh in 1428.
In the 16th century, the Strang family held lands in the parish of Galston, Ayrshire, and the nearby village of Strangholm took its name from them.
One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Robert Strang (1859-1918), a Scottish painter and engraver known for his etchings and portraits. He was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1908.
Another notable figure was William Strang (1877-1934), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as Governor of Nyasaland (now Malawi) from 1923 to 1928.
In the 20th century, Sir William Strang (1893-1978) was a highly respected British diplomat and civil servant who served as Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office from 1949 to 1953.
The Strang surname has also been well-represented in the field of literature, with writers such as John Strang (1795-1863), a Scottish poet and author, and William Strang (1832-1914), a Scottish author and editor.
While the name has its roots in Scotland, bearers of the Strang surname can now be found throughout the English-speaking world, particularly in countries with significant Scottish immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strang
Among Census respondents with the surname Strang, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Strang 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 Strang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,702
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 146
- Two or more races3.3% · 136
- Black or African American0.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strang
Strang 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
#7,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,341
-40 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 606 places
2020
#7,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,061
-280 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,046 | 4,381 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,652 | 4,341 | 1.47 | -40 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 606 places |
| 2020 | #7,831 | 4,061 | 1.36 | -280 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 179 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 Strang 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 | #7,652 | #7,831 | -2.3% |
| Count | 4,341 | 4,061 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.36 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strang bearers went from 4,341 to 4,061 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,652 to #7,831.
FAQ
Strang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strang?
Name Census estimates that about 4,657 living Americans carry the surname Strang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,600 residents.
How common is Strang?
Strang ranks #7,831 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,061 people with the surname Strang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,657), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Strang.
Has Strang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strang went from 4,341 recorded bearers to 4,061. That is a decrease of 280 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,652 to #7,831.
What does the Census say about the background of Strang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strang, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Strang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,702 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Strang (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 Strang mean?
A Scottish and English locational surname derived from places meaning "strong" or "strange." 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 Strang (1.36 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 common is the surname Strang?
See how many Americans have the surname Strang on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.