2000
#7,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,352
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Tseng
A Chinese surname meaning "increase" or "growth", which originated from a region in ancient China called Zeng.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,224 Americans carry the last name Tseng. That puts it at #6,080 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,070 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tseng 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
6.2K
1 in 55,070
Census rank
#6,080
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,428 bearers of the surname Tseng in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6080th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tseng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tseng
The surname Tseng originates from China, with its roots dating back to ancient times. It is a Chinese transliteration of the Mandarin Chinese surname 曾, which is pronounced as "Tseng" or "Zeng" in different dialects. This surname has a long and rich history intertwined with Chinese culture and society.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Tseng can be found in the Shiji, a monumental historical record written by Sima Qian in the 1st century BC. In this work, Sima Qian mentions individuals with the surname Tseng, indicating its widespread use during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).
The surname Tseng is believed to have originated from the ancient state of Tseng, located in what is now Henan Province, during the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 256 BC). This state was ruled by the noble Tseng family, whose descendants adopted the surname as a mark of their lineage and heritage.
Throughout Chinese history, there have been numerous notable figures bearing the surname Tseng. One of the most renowned was Tseng Guo-fan (1811-1872), a prominent military leader and statesman during the late Qing Dynasty. He played a crucial role in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, one of the bloodiest civil wars in human history.
Another famous individual with the surname Tseng was Tseng Kuo-ch'uan (1891-1982), a celebrated writer and scholar who made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Chinese literature and culture. His works, including the acclaimed novel "The Crimson Pearl" (紅珊珊), have left an indelible mark on Chinese literary tradition.
In the field of philosophy, Tseng Ts'an (195-265 AD), a prominent Taoist thinker and author during the Wei and Jin dynasties, is renowned for his influential work "Ts'an-t'ung-ch'i" (The Uniting of the Three Paths). This text explored the harmonization of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, shaping the intellectual discourse of his era.
Tseng Chung-ming (1842-1918), a prominent diplomat and statesman, played a pivotal role in modernizing China's foreign relations during the late Qing Dynasty. He served as the first Chinese envoy to the United States and was instrumental in negotiating treaties and fostering international cooperation.
In modern times, the surname Tseng has continued to be associated with notable figures, such as Tseng Yu-hsien (1924-2017), a renowned Taiwanese writer and scholar whose works explored themes of identity, culture, and modernity in Taiwan.
The surname Tseng has a rich and diverse history, spanning centuries of Chinese civilization. From military leaders and statesmen to writers, philosophers, and diplomats, individuals bearing this surname have left an indelible mark on various aspects of Chinese culture, politics, and intellectual life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tseng
Among Census respondents with the surname Tseng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tseng 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 Tseng surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.7% · 5,085
- White3.0% · 163
- Two or more races2.5% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 32
- Black or African American0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tseng
Tseng 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
#6,751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,994
+642 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#6,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,428
+434 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,087 | 4,352 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,751 | 4,994 | 1.69 | +642 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #6,080 | 5,428 | 1.82 | +434 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 671 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 Tseng 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 | #6,751 | #6,080 | 9.9% |
| Count | 4,994 | 5,428 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.82 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tseng bearers went from 4,994 to 5,428 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 671 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,751 to #6,080.
FAQ
Tseng surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tseng?
Name Census estimates that about 6,224 living Americans carry the surname Tseng. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,070 residents.
How common is Tseng?
Tseng ranks #6,080 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 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 5,428 people with the surname Tseng. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 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 Tseng.
Has Tseng become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tseng went from 4,994 recorded bearers to 5,428. That is an increase of 434 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,751 to #6,080.
What does the Census say about the background of Tseng?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tseng, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Tseng in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (5,085 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tseng appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.7%), White (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Tseng (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 Tseng mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "increase" or "growth", which originated from a region in ancient China called Zeng. 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 Tseng (1.82 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 Tseng?
You can see how common the surname Tseng is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.