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

Tsou, 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 Tsou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tsou in America

Tsou is the 29878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tsou surname appeared 786 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 Tsou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tsou 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.

The history of the last name Tsou

The surname TSOU originated in China, and its earliest known records can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). This surname was initially prevalent in the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of southern China.

TSOU is believed to be derived from the Chinese word "zou," which means "village" or "hamlet." It is likely that the name was initially given to individuals who hailed from a particular village or settlement, thereby identifying their place of origin.

Historical records indicate that the TSOU surname first appeared in the "Tongzhi" (a comprehensive encyclopedia compiled during the Qing Dynasty) and other genealogical texts from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911 AD).

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the TSOU surname was Tsou Yen (934-984 AD), a renowned scholar and calligrapher during the Song Dynasty. He was known for his expertise in the Chinese classics and his elegant calligraphic style.

Another notable figure was Tsou Tuan (1052-1107 AD), a prominent Neo-Confucian philosopher and scholar of the Song Dynasty. He is recognized for his contributions to the development of the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism.

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), Tsou Hsin (1290-1348 AD) was a respected diplomat and statesman who served in various high-ranking positions under the Mongol rulers.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), Tsou Shouyi (1572-1626 AD) was a prominent scholar and calligrapher who excelled in the study of classical literature and wrote extensively on the interpretation of Confucian texts.

In more recent history, Tsou Ping (1918-2015 AD) was a renowned linguist and anthropologist who made significant contributions to the study of Taiwanese indigenous languages and cultures.

While the TSOU surname can be found worldwide due to migration and diaspora, its origins can be traced back to the southern regions of China, where it was deeply rooted in the country's rich historical and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tsou

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

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 Tsou was:

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tsou, please contact us.

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