2000
#33,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 643
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Rare Last name
Thang
A Thai surname derived from the word meaning "road" or "path".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,172 Americans carry the last name Thang. That puts it at #4,810 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thang 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
8.2K
1 in 41,943
Census rank
#4,810
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,126 bearers of the surname Thang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4810th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thang
The surname THANG has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the Bengal region of what is now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. The name can be traced back to the 7th century AD and is believed to be derived from an ancient Bengali word meaning "a wooden post or pole."
In the early medieval period, the THANG name was prevalent among rural communities in the Sundarbans region, where many families were involved in the construction of homes and structures using locally-sourced materials like wood and bamboo. The name likely referred to the occupation of those who specialized in crafting and erecting the wooden posts that formed the foundation of these buildings.
One of the earliest recorded references to the THANG name can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentioned a village in the Sundarbans region known as "Thangpara," which translates to "the area of the Thang people."
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Ramprasad THANG (1718-1775) emerged as a renowned Bengali poet and playwright. His works, which explored themes of devotion and spirituality, are widely celebrated in Bengali literature.
Another notable individual with the THANG surname was Nandlal THANG (1882-1966), a pioneering Indian artist and painter who played a crucial role in the development of the Bengal School of Art. His paintings, which often depicted scenes from rural Bengali life, are considered masterpieces of modern Indian art.
In the early 20th century, Jatindramohan THANG (1904-1980) gained recognition as a prominent Indian educator and social reformer. He established several schools and educational institutions in West Bengal, promoting the importance of education and empowering underprivileged communities.
During the Indian independence movement, Birendranath THANG (1906-1982) was a prominent figure who actively participated in the struggle against British colonial rule. He was imprisoned multiple times for his involvement in the non-violent resistance movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Another individual of note is Soumitra THANG (1935-2020), a celebrated Indian actor and filmmaker who was widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in Bengali cinema. He worked closely with the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray and was awarded numerous accolades for his performances, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest honor in cinema.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thang
Among Census respondents with the surname Thang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Thang 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 Thang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.7% · 6,960
- White1.1% · 79
- Two or more races0.6% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 30
- Black or African American0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thang
Thang 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
#15,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,836
+1,193 bearers (+185.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 17,617 places
2020
#4,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,126
+5,290 bearers (+288.1%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Up 11,044 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,471 | 643 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,854 | 1,836 | 0.62 | +1,193 bearers (+185.5%) | Up 17,617 places |
| 2020 | #4,810 | 7,126 | 2.38 | +5,290 bearers (+288.1%) | Up 11,044 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 Thang 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 | #15,854 | #4,810 | 69.7% |
| Count | 1,836 | 7,126 | 288.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 2.38 | 284.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thang bearers went from 1,836 to 7,126 (+288.1% change). The surname moved up 11,044 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,854 to #4,810.
FAQ
Thang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thang?
Name Census estimates that about 8,172 living Americans carry the surname Thang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,943 residents.
How common is Thang?
Thang ranks #4,810 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,126 people with the surname Thang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Thang.
Has Thang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thang went from 1,836 recorded bearers to 7,126. That is an increase of 5,290 (+288.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,854 to #4,810.
What does the Census say about the background of Thang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Thang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (6,960 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.7%), White (1.1%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Thang (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 Thang mean?
A Thai surname derived from the word meaning "road" or "path". 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 Thang (2.38 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 Americans have the surname Thang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.