2000
#15,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Tieu
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Zhang, meaning "to draw a bow" or "archer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,014 Americans carry the last name Tieu. That puts it at #11,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tieu 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
3.0K
1 in 113,721
Census rank
#11,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,628 bearers of the surname Tieu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tieu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tieu
The surname TIEU originated in Vietnam during the 13th century. It is derived from the Vietnamese word "tieu," which means "small" or "little." The name was likely given to a person of small stature or as a way to distinguish between two individuals with the same given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the TIEU surname can be found in the Annals of Dai Viet, a historical text compiled in the 15th century. The text mentions a scholar named TIEU Van Nhan, who lived during the Tran dynasty (1225-1400).
In the 16th century, the TIEU surname appeared in village records from the Red River Delta region in northern Vietnam. The name was particularly prevalent in the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, where many families with the TIEU surname were landowners and farmers.
During the 17th century, a notable figure with the TIEU surname was TIEU Cong Vien (1622-1701), a Confucian scholar and poet who served as a high-ranking official in the Nguyen dynasty. His collection of poems, titled "Tieu Tap," is considered a significant literary work of the time.
In the 19th century, TIEU Tri Quang (1835-1898) was a prominent Vietnamese military leader who played a key role in the resistance against French colonial rule. He led several successful campaigns against the French forces before being captured and executed.
Another notable figure with the TIEU surname was TIEU Cong Hau (1884-1958), a politician and diplomat who served as the first ambassador of Vietnam to the United States. He played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries after World War II.
Over the centuries, the TIEU surname has also been associated with various place names in Vietnam, such as Tieu Son (Little Mountain) and Tieu Phu (Little Town). These place names often reflect the presence of TIEU families in those areas or the geographical features of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tieu
Among Census respondents with the surname Tieu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tieu 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 Tieu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.2% · 2,476
- Two or more races2.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 41
- White1.5% · 40
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tieu
Tieu 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
#13,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,275
+489 bearers (+27.4%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 1,755 places
2020
#11,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,628
+353 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 1,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,146 | 1,786 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,391 | 2,275 | 0.77 | +489 bearers (+27.4%) | Up 1,755 places |
| 2020 | #11,466 | 2,628 | 0.88 | +353 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 1,925 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 Tieu 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 | #13,391 | #11,466 | 14.4% |
| Count | 2,275 | 2,628 | 15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.88 | 14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tieu bearers went from 2,275 to 2,628 (+15.5% change). The surname moved up 1,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,391 to #11,466.
FAQ
Tieu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tieu?
Name Census estimates that about 3,014 living Americans carry the surname Tieu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,721 residents.
How common is Tieu?
Tieu ranks #11,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,628 people with the surname Tieu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,014), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Tieu.
Has Tieu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tieu went from 2,275 recorded bearers to 2,628. That is an increase of 353 (+15.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,391 to #11,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Tieu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tieu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Tieu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (2,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tieu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Tieu (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 Tieu mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Zhang, meaning "to draw a bow" or "archer." 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 Tieu (0.88 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 are called Tieu?
See how common the surname Tieu is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.