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

Szeto, 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 Szeto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Szeto in America

Szeto is the 12012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Szeto surname appeared 2,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Szeto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Szeto 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.

The history of the last name Szeto

The surname SZETO originated in China and has its roots in the Cantonese dialect of Guangdong province. The name is believed to have emerged around the 12th century during the Song Dynasty. It is derived from the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese characters 司徒, which translates to "administrative official" or "imperial attendant".

In ancient Chinese records, the SZETO surname is documented in the genealogical records of various clans in the Pearl River Delta region. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ming Dynasty archives, where a SZETO family is listed as residing in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) during the 15th century.

The earliest recorded individual with the SZETO surname is SZETO Shun-yan, a scholar and poet who lived during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He was known for his literary contributions and his work is preserved in the Qing Dynasty anthology "Collected Works of the Four Treasures".

Another notable figure bearing the SZETO name was SZETO Lap-hing, a military general who served in the Qing Dynasty during the 18th century. He was instrumental in suppressing several uprisings in southern China and his military exploits are documented in the Qing imperial records.

In the 19th century, SZETO Nam-fung was a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Guangzhou. He established several charitable organizations and funded the construction of schools and hospitals in the region. His legacy is honored in the naming of the SZETO Nam-fung Memorial Hall in Guangzhou.

During the early 20th century, SZETO Wai-suen was a respected educator and reformist who advocated for modernizing the Chinese education system. He founded several progressive schools in Guangzhou and his teachings influenced generations of students.

SZETO Lam-kwong was a renowned artist and calligrapher who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works are highly regarded and can be found in numerous art collections around the world, including the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

While the SZETO surname originated in Guangdong province, it has since spread to other parts of China and to Chinese communities around the globe due to migration and diaspora over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Szeto

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

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 Szeto was:

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 Szeto has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Szeto was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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