2000
#10,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Tsui
A Chinese surname meaning "to follow," "chase," or "pursue," likely referring to a soldier or hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,851 Americans carry the last name Tsui. That puts it at #9,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,004 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tsui 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 Tsui with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 89,004
Census rank
#9,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,358 bearers of the surname Tsui in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tsui
The surname Tsui is of Chinese origin and can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) in China. It is believed to have originated from the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese characters 徐 or 崔, which were common family names in southern China.
Historically, the name Tsui was prevalent in the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of China, as well as in Hong Kong. Some records indicate that the name may have been derived from the ancient Chinese word "cui," which referred to a type of bamboo plant.
In ancient Chinese texts, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Tsui serving as government officials or scholars during various dynasties. For example, Tsui Ying (834-916 AD) was a prominent scholar and poet during the Tang Dynasty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tsui can be found in the "Pu'er Prefecture Gazetteer," a historical document from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), which lists several villages and families with this surname in the Pu'er region of Yunnan Province.
Over the centuries, the name Tsui has been associated with several notable individuals. One example is Tsui Hark (born 1950), a renowned Hong Kong film director and producer known for his work in the kung fu and action genres.
Another notable figure is Tsui Tsin-tong (1895-1966), a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist who founded the Tsui Tsin-tong Charitable Foundation, which supported education and social welfare initiatives.
In the literary world, Tsui Tze-ki (1924-2013) was a respected Hong Kong novelist and essayist, known for his works exploring the cultural identity of Hong Kong.
Tsui Lap-chee (1915-1991) was a renowned architect who played a significant role in shaping the modern skyline of Hong Kong, designing iconic buildings such as the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Tsui Sing-luen (1949-2019) was a respected Hong Kong academic and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Cantonese language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tsui
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tsui 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 Tsui surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.1% · 3,127
- Two or more races3.0% · 101
- White2.3% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tsui
Tsui 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
#10,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,168
+443 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 568 places
2020
#9,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,358
+190 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,748 | 2,725 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,180 | 3,168 | 1.07 | +443 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 568 places |
| 2020 | #9,296 | 3,358 | 1.12 | +190 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 884 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 Tsui 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 | #10,180 | #9,296 | 8.7% |
| Count | 3,168 | 3,358 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.12 | 5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tsui bearers went from 3,168 to 3,358 (+6.0% change). The surname moved up 884 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,180 to #9,296.
FAQ
Tsui surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tsui?
Name Census estimates that about 3,851 living Americans carry the surname Tsui. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,004 residents.
How common is Tsui?
Tsui ranks #9,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,358 people with the surname Tsui. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Tsui.
Has Tsui become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tsui went from 3,168 recorded bearers to 3,358. That is an increase of 190 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,180 to #9,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Tsui?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tsui, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.3%). 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 Tsui in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tsui appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), White (2.3%). 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 Tsui (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 Tsui mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "to follow," "chase," or "pursue," likely referring to a soldier or hunter. 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 Tsui (1.12 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 Tsui?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Tsui on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.