2000
#4,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,826
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Uncommon Last name
Tu
A Chinese surname meaning "earth" or "soil," or a Vietnamese surname meaning "good luck" or "good fortune."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,262 Americans carry the last name Tu. That puts it at #3,298 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,953 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tu 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 Tu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,953
Census rank
#3,298
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,693 bearers of the surname Tu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3298th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tu
The surname Tu is believed to have originated in China, where it has been recorded for many centuries. It is derived from the Chinese word "tu," which means "earth" or "soil," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked the land or lived in a rural area.
One of the earliest known references to the Tu surname can be found in the Zizhi Tongjian, a famous Chinese historical text completed in 1084 AD. This work mentions several individuals with the surname Tu who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
In ancient China, surnames were often associated with specific regions or villages. The Tu name has been particularly prevalent in the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, as well as in Guangdong and Fujian in the south.
Over the centuries, various notable figures have borne the Tu surname. One of the most famous was Tu Fu (712-770 AD), widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. His works, which often depicted the turmoil of his time, have had a lasting influence on Chinese literature.
Another prominent individual was Tu Youyou (born 1930), a Chinese pharmaceutical chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015 for her discoveries related to the treatment of malaria.
In the realm of martial arts, Tu Xiduan (1789-1857) was a renowned practitioner of the Xingyi Quan style, and is credited with helping to preserve and spread this ancient fighting system.
The Tu surname has also been found in various place names throughout China, such as Tu Village in Zhejiang Province and Tu County in Sichuan Province, further reflecting its deep historical roots in the region.
While the surname Tu is most commonly associated with China, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of Asia, particularly in areas with significant Chinese populations or cultural influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tu
Among Census respondents with the surname Tu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and White (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tu 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 Tu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.5% · 9,999
- Two or more races2.7% · 292
- White2.3% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 110
- Black or African American0.4% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tu
Tu 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
#3,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,230
+2,404 bearers (+35.2%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Up 910 places
2020
#3,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,693
+1,463 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Up 537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,745 | 6,826 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,835 | 9,230 | 3.13 | +2,404 bearers (+35.2%) | Up 910 places |
| 2020 | #3,298 | 10,693 | 3.58 | +1,463 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 537 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 Tu 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 | #3,835 | #3,298 | 14.0% |
| Count | 9,230 | 10,693 | 15.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.13 | 3.58 | 14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tu bearers went from 9,230 to 10,693 (+15.9% change). The surname moved up 537 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,835 to #3,298.
FAQ
Tu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tu?
Name Census estimates that about 12,262 living Americans carry the surname Tu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,953 residents.
How common is Tu?
Tu ranks #3,298 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,693 people with the surname Tu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Tu.
Has Tu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tu went from 9,230 recorded bearers to 10,693. That is an increase of 1,463 (+15.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,835 to #3,298.
What does the Census say about the background of Tu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) 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 Tu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (9,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), 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 Tu (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 Tu mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "earth" or "soil," or a Vietnamese surname meaning "good luck" or "good fortune." 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 Tu (3.58 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 Tu?
Want to know how many people have the last name Tu? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.