2000
#14,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Trang
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname meaning "open, vast, or expansive."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,376 Americans carry the last name Trang. That puts it at #10,419 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trang 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
3.4K
1 in 101,527
Census rank
#10,419
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,944 bearers of the surname Trang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10419th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trang
The surname Trang has its origins in Vietnam, tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Vietnamese word "trang," which means "bright" or "shining," potentially indicating a connection to a person's physical appearance or character. This name has been predominantly found in the northern and central regions of Vietnam.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Trang can be found in the Nguyen Dynasty's administrative records from the late 18th century. These documents mention individuals with the surname Trang holding various positions within the imperial court and local governments.
In the late 19th century, the Trang surname gained prominence through the life of Trang Hung Dao, a renowned Vietnamese military commander who played a crucial role in the resistance against the Mongol invasions during the Tran Dynasty. Born in 1258, Trang Hung Dao's strategic leadership and tactical brilliance were instrumental in the victories at the Battles of Bach Dang River in 1285 and 1288.
Another notable figure with the Trang surname was Trang Tu, a celebrated 13th-century Vietnamese poet and Confucian scholar. His literary works, including the collection "Huyen Chi Am Duong Tap," have left a lasting impact on Vietnamese literature and philosophy.
In the 20th century, Trang Trieu Quynh, born in 1915, was a prominent Vietnamese educator and advocate for women's rights. She dedicated her life to promoting education and empowering women, establishing several schools and organizations to further her cause.
Trang Cao Huy, born in 1923, was a respected Vietnamese artist known for his intricate lacquer paintings and woodblock prints. His works, which often depicted traditional Vietnamese life and landscapes, have been exhibited in various museums and galleries around the world.
The Trang surname has also been associated with several notable place names in Vietnam, such as Trang An, a picturesque landscape complex in the Ninh Binh province, and Trang Bang, a district in the Tay Ninh province. These place names may have influenced or been influenced by the surname itself, further reinforcing its historical and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trang
Among Census respondents with the surname Trang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Trang 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 Trang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.5% · 2,783
- White2.5% · 75
- Two or more races1.5% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 30
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trang
Trang 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
#13,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
+338 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 868 places
2020
#10,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,944
+708 bearers (+31.7%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 3,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,432 | 1,898 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,564 | 2,236 | 0.76 | +338 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 868 places |
| 2020 | #10,419 | 2,944 | 0.98 | +708 bearers (+31.7%) | Up 3,145 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 Trang 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 | #13,564 | #10,419 | 23.2% |
| Count | 2,236 | 2,944 | 31.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.98 | 29.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trang bearers went from 2,236 to 2,944 (+31.7% change). The surname moved up 3,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,564 to #10,419.
FAQ
Trang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trang?
Name Census estimates that about 3,376 living Americans carry the surname Trang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,527 residents.
How common is Trang?
Trang ranks #10,419 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,944 people with the surname Trang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Trang.
Has Trang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trang went from 2,236 recorded bearers to 2,944. That is an increase of 708 (+31.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,564 to #10,419.
What does the Census say about the background of Trang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Trang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (2,783 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.5%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Trang (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 Trang mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname meaning "open, vast, or expansive." 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 Trang (0.98 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 Trang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.