2000
#5,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,943
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.20
Rare Last name
Tsang
A Chinese surname meaning "workshop" or "granary," indicating an ancestor's occupation or place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,784 Americans carry the last name Tsang. That puts it at #5,011 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tsang 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 Tsang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,033
Census rank
#5,011
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,788 bearers of the surname Tsang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5011th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tsang
The surname "TSANG" has its origins in China, where it dates back to ancient times. It is a romanized spelling of the Chinese surname 曾, which is derived from the ancient Chinese word "zeng," meaning "to flourish or prosper."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC), where it was used as a clan name. The Tsang family was prominent during this period and is mentioned in several historical records, including the "Bamboo Annals" and the "Classic of Poetry."
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), a notable figure named Tsang Gongzhi (fl. 7th century AD) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He is credited with contributing to the development of trigonometry and the calculation of the solar year.
In the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the Tsang family played a significant role in the imperial court. Tsang Xun (1032-1085 AD) was a prominent scholar and philosopher, known for his work on Neo-Confucianism and his critique of Buddhism.
The name "TSANG" is also associated with several place names in China, such as Tsang County in Hebei Province and Tsang Village in Guangdong Province. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.
Another notable figure with the surname "TSANG" was Tsang Ke-cheung (1925-2007), a renowned architect from Hong Kong. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in the city, including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Hong Kong Science Museum.
Tsang Tsou-choi (1931-2020) was a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Kingboard Group, a multinational corporation with interests in various industries, and was known for his charitable contributions to education and healthcare.
In more recent times, Tsang Yok-sing (born 1948) is a prominent Hong Kong politician and businessman. He served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012.
The surname "TSANG" has a rich history and has been associated with various notable figures throughout Chinese history, from scholars and philosophers to architects and business leaders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tsang
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tsang 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 Tsang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.8% · 6,297
- Two or more races3.0% · 207
- White2.5% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 100
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tsang
Tsang 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
#5,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,860
+917 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 289 places
2020
#5,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,788
-72 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Up 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,392 | 5,943 | 2.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,103 | 6,860 | 2.33 | +917 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 289 places |
| 2020 | #5,011 | 6,788 | 2.27 | -72 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 92 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 Tsang 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 | #5,103 | #5,011 | 1.8% |
| Count | 6,860 | 6,788 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.27 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tsang bearers went from 6,860 to 6,788 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,103 to #5,011.
FAQ
Tsang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tsang?
Name Census estimates that about 7,784 living Americans carry the surname Tsang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,033 residents.
How common is Tsang?
Tsang ranks #5,011 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 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 6,788 people with the surname Tsang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 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 Tsang.
Has Tsang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tsang went from 6,860 recorded bearers to 6,788. That is a decrease of 72 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,103 to #5,011.
What does the Census say about the background of Tsang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) 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 Tsang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (6,297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tsang 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 (3.0%), 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 Tsang (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 Tsang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "workshop" or "granary," indicating an ancestor's occupation or place of origin. 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 Tsang (2.27 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 last name Tsang?
Want to know how many people have the last name Tsang? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.