2000
#5,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,439
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Uncommon Last name
Sung
A Korean surname derived from the Chinese surname Song, meaning "pine tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,358 Americans carry the last name Sung. That puts it at #3,831 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sung 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 Sung with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,091
Census rank
#3,831
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,033 bearers of the surname Sung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3831st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sung
The surname Sung originates from China and has been in use since ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "song," which means "pine" or "pine tree." The name was likely given to families living near or associated with pine trees or pine forests.
The Sung surname first appeared in historical records during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), which ruled over a unified China. It was a common surname in the central and eastern regions of the country, particularly in the provinces of Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sung can be found in the "Book of Han," a historical text written during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD). The book mentions a scholar named Sung Chien, who lived during the 2nd century AD and was known for his expertise in Confucian teachings.
During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the Sung surname gained prominence with the rise of the Sung family of scholars and officials. One notable figure was Sung Lien (c. 1310–1381), a renowned calligrapher and poet who served as a high-ranking official under the Yuan Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the Sung surname was particularly common in the Zhejiang province. One famous individual from this era was Sung Ying-hsing (1587–1666), a renowned agronomist and author of the influential work "Tian Gong Kai Wu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature).
Another prominent figure with the Sung surname was Sung Tzu-wen (1718–1804), a Qing Dynasty scholar and calligrapher who was known for his mastery of the "running script" style of Chinese calligraphy.
In more recent history, the Sung surname has been carried by notable individuals such as Sung Jao-ren (1880–1939), a Chinese diplomat and politician who served as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China, and Sung Tse-ven (1899–1971), a Chinese mathematician and educator known for his contributions to number theory and probability theory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sung
Among Census respondents with the surname Sung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sung 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 Sung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.3% · 8,516
- Two or more races2.2% · 195
- White2.1% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 108
- Black or African American0.3% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sung
Sung 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
#4,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,360
+1,921 bearers (+35.3%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Up 1,019 places
2020
#3,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,033
+1,673 bearers (+22.7%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Up 970 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,820 | 5,439 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,801 | 7,360 | 2.50 | +1,921 bearers (+35.3%) | Up 1,019 places |
| 2020 | #3,831 | 9,033 | 3.02 | +1,673 bearers (+22.7%) | Up 970 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 Sung 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 | #4,801 | #3,831 | 20.2% |
| Count | 7,360 | 9,033 | 22.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 3.02 | 20.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sung bearers went from 7,360 to 9,033 (+22.7% change). The surname moved up 970 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,801 to #3,831.
FAQ
Sung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sung?
Name Census estimates that about 10,358 living Americans carry the surname Sung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,091 residents.
How common is Sung?
Sung ranks #3,831 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,033 people with the surname Sung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,358), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Sung.
Has Sung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sung went from 7,360 recorded bearers to 9,033. That is an increase of 1,673 (+22.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,801 to #3,831.
What does the Census say about the background of Sung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and White (2.1%). 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 Sung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (8,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%), White (2.1%). 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 Sung (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 Sung mean?
A Korean surname derived from the Chinese surname Song, meaning "pine tree." 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 Sung (3.02 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 Sung?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Sung on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.