2000
#10,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Teng
A Chinese surname derived from a place name or referring to a feudal state in ancient China.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,061 Americans carry the last name Teng. That puts it at #7,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,725 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teng 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 Teng with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,725
Census rank
#7,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,413 bearers of the surname Teng in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and White (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teng
The surname Teng has its origins in China, with roots that can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). It was initially a single-character surname derived from the Chinese character "滕," which referred to a specific region in what is now Shandong Province.
In ancient Chinese records, the earliest known mention of the surname Teng appears in the Book of Han, a historical text that chronicles the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-9 AD). The text mentions individuals with the surname Teng who held various government positions during that era.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the surname Teng gained prominence, with several notable figures bearing this name. One such individual was Teng Xiayu (647-701 AD), a renowned calligrapher and poet who served as a minister during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian.
Another notable figure was Teng Shouzhi (979-1041 AD), a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar and philosopher who played a significant role in reviving Confucian thought during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).
In the realm of literature, Teng Mu (1505-1572 AD) was a celebrated Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) playwright and novelist, best known for his work "The Peony Pavilion," a renowned romantic drama.
Moving forward in history, Teng Yun-shan (1830-1904 AD) was a prominent Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD) statesman and diplomat who served as the ambassador to various European countries, including France and Russia.
Beyond China, the surname Teng has also spread to other parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, where it has been adopted by ethnic Chinese communities. In Singapore, for instance, Teng Kee Hock (1899-1986) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to education and social welfare initiatives.
While the surname Teng may have evolved over time and across different regions, its Chinese roots and historical significance remain deeply ingrained in its legacy, reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of this ancient surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teng
Among Census respondents with the surname Teng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and White (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Teng 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 Teng surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.8% · 4,097
- Two or more races2.8% · 123
- White2.5% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 56
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teng
Teng 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
#9,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,433
+776 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 1,511 places
2020
#7,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,413
+980 bearers (+28.5%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 2,190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,984 | 2,657 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,473 | 3,433 | 1.16 | +776 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 1,511 places |
| 2020 | #7,283 | 4,413 | 1.48 | +980 bearers (+28.5%) | Up 2,190 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 Teng 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 | #9,473 | #7,283 | 23.1% |
| Count | 3,433 | 4,413 | 28.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.48 | 27.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teng bearers went from 3,433 to 4,413 (+28.5% change). The surname moved up 2,190 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,473 to #7,283.
FAQ
Teng surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teng?
Name Census estimates that about 5,061 living Americans carry the surname Teng. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,725 residents.
How common is Teng?
Teng ranks #7,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,413 people with the surname Teng. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Teng.
Has Teng become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teng went from 3,433 recorded bearers to 4,413. That is an increase of 980 (+28.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,473 to #7,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Teng?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and White (2.5%). 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 Teng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (4,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teng appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%), White (2.5%). 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 Teng (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 Teng mean?
A Chinese surname derived from a place name or referring to a feudal state in ancient China. 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 Teng (1.48 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 have the surname Teng?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.