Thong last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Thong

A Vietnamese surname derived from a placename.

Thong, 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 Thong surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thong in America

Thong is the 19581st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thong surname appeared 1,378 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 Thong.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thong 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 19581 21156 -7.73%
Count 1,378 1,156 17.52%
Proportion per 100k 0.47 0.43 8.89%

The history of the last name Thong

The surname Thong originated in Vietnam during the 15th century. It is derived from the Vietnamese word "thống," meaning "to unify" or "to govern." This name was likely given to individuals or families who held positions of authority or served as local governors.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Thong surname can be found in the Đại Việt Sử Ký (The Complete Annals of Đại Việt), a historical text compiled during the Lê Dynasty in the 15th century. It references a man named Thong Trung, who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

In the 16th century, there are records of a village named Thong Nhat, which translates to "United Village," located in the northern region of Vietnam. This suggests that the Thong surname may have been particularly prevalent in that area during that time period.

A notable figure bearing the Thong surname was Trần Thong, a famous Vietnamese poet and scholar who lived during the 17th century. His poetry and writings have had a significant influence on Vietnamese literature and culture.

During the 18th century, a man named Nguyen Thong Hien gained recognition as a skilled military strategist and commander. He played a crucial role in defending Vietnam against foreign invasions and is celebrated as a national hero.

In the 19th century, the Thong surname gained prominence with the birth of Phan Thong Trieu, a renowned Vietnamese artist and calligrapher. His works are highly regarded and can be found in various museums and collections throughout Vietnam.

Another influential figure was Nguyen Thong, a prominent political leader and activist who played a significant role in the Vietnamese independence movement against French colonial rule in the early 20th century.

While the Thong surname is predominantly found in Vietnam, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thong

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

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 Thong was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 1.23% 17
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.47% 34
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 92.53% 1,275
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.83% 39
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 1.23% 2.42% -65.21%
Black 2.47% 2.16% 13.39%
Asian and Pacific Islander 92.53% 88.75% 4.17%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.83% 6.14% -73.80%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Thong, 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!

"Thong last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 6, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/thong-surname-popularity/.

"Thong last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/thong-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 October, 2024

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

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