2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Syhavong
A surname of Laotian origin indicating someone from the village of Syhavong.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Syhavong. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Syhavong 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Syhavong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Syhavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Syhavong
The surname SYHAVONG is of Lao origin, originating from the Southeast Asian country of Laos. It is a combination of two Lao words, "sy" meaning "prosperity" and "havong" meaning "palace" or "royal residence". The name likely originated during the period of the Lane Xang Kingdom, which ruled over present-day Laos from the 14th to the 18th century.
SYHAVONG was probably a name given to individuals who served or lived in the royal palaces or residences of the Lane Xang kings. It may have been a title or honorific initially bestowed upon officials or nobles closely associated with the royal court. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
The earliest known records of the SYHAVONG name can be traced back to the 16th century, during the reign of King Setthathirath, one of the most celebrated rulers of the Lane Xang Kingdom. Several royal chronicles and stone inscriptions from this era mention individuals with the SYHAVONG surname serving in various administrative and military roles within the kingdom.
One notable figure was Nang SYHAVONG, a princess and daughter of King Souligna Vongsa (1638-1694) who married a Siamese prince and played a significant role in fostering diplomatic relations between the two kingdoms. Another prominent SYHAVONG was Chao Noy SYHAVONG (1795-1869), a high-ranking official and governor of Vientiane during the turbulent period of Siamese and Vietnamese invasions in the early 19th century.
As the Lane Xang Kingdom declined and Laos came under increased foreign influence, the SYHAVONG name spread across various regions of the country. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several SYHAVONG individuals were noted for their involvement in the nationalist movements and efforts to preserve Lao culture and independence. Ong Kham SYHAVONG (1880-1961) was a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on Lao history and literature, while Kham Ngon SYHAVONG (1901-1974) was a prominent leader in the Lao independence movement against French colonial rule.
Today, the SYHAVONG surname remains well-represented in Laos and among the Lao diaspora communities around the world, particularly in the United States, France, and other Western countries. While its origins can be traced back to the royal courts of the Lane Xang Kingdom, the name has since become more widely distributed across various social strata and regions within Laos.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Syhavong
Among Census respondents with the surname Syhavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Syhavong 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 Syhavong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.2% · 101
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
- White1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Syhavong
Syhavong 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Syhavong 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Syhavong bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Syhavong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Syhavong?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Syhavong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Syhavong?
Syhavong ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Syhavong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Syhavong.
Has Syhavong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Syhavong went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Syhavong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Syhavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and White (1.8%). 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 Syhavong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Syhavong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.2%), Two or More Races (8.0%), White (1.8%). 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 Syhavong (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 Syhavong mean?
A surname of Laotian origin indicating someone from the village of Syhavong. 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 Syhavong (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 are called Syhavong?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Syhavong, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.