Sze last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Sze is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sze.

Meaning of Sze

A surname of Chinese origin potentially translating to something akin to "slim" or "small".

Sze, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sze surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sze in America

Sze is the 19865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sze surname appeared 1,353 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sze.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sze to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 19865 21424 -7.55%
Count 1,353 1,138 17.26%
Proportion per 100k 0.46 0.42 9.09%

The history of the last name Sze

The surname "SZE" is of Chinese origin, specifically from the Cantonese dialect. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 17th century in the southern provinces of China, particularly in the region around modern-day Guangdong and Hong Kong.

The name "SZE" is a romanized spelling of the Chinese surname "史" (Shǐ), which is derived from the ancient word "史" meaning "historian" or "recorder of events." This surname has a long and distinguished history, with many prominent individuals bearing this name throughout Chinese history.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname "SZE" can be found in the Qing Dynasty archives from the late 17th century, where a scholar named Sze Yau-tsun (1619-1683) is noted for his contributions to the study of Confucian classics.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a renowned poet and calligrapher named Sze Chung-mou (1488-1559) gained recognition for his elegant writings and artistic works, which are still celebrated today.

In the 20th century, Dr. Sze-Tsuan Sze (1900-1988) was a prominent diplomat and scholar who served as the Chinese ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Another notable figure was the architect and urban planner Sze Tsung Leong (1901-1993), who played a significant role in the design and development of modern cities in China, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The name "SZE" has also been associated with several notable places in China, such as the Sze Yup County in Guangdong Province, which was named after a local official with the surname Sze during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE).

It is worth noting that the romanization of Chinese surnames can vary depending on the dialect and the transliteration system used. The surname "SZE" is a common romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation, while other romanizations include "Shih," "Shi," or "Ssu" in Mandarin Chinese.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sze

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sze.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sze was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.36% 59
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 91.06% 1,232
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.77% 51
Hispanic Origin 0.81% 11

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sze has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.36% 6.15% -34.06%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 91.06% 88.66% 2.67%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.77% 3.87% -2.62%
Hispanic 0.81% 1.23% -41.18%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sze was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sze, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Sze last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 12, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/sze-surname-popularity/.

"Sze last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/sze-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 October, 2024

Sze last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/sze-surname-popularity/.

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