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

Tzeng, 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 Tzeng surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tzeng in America

Tzeng is the 44356th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tzeng surname appeared 485 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 Tzeng.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tzeng 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 Tzeng

The surname TZENG is of Chinese origin, originating from the Fujian province of southeastern China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The name is derived from the Mandarin Chinese word "zheng," which means "upright" or "正直" (zhengzhi) in the traditional Chinese script.

The earliest recorded examples of the TZENG surname can be traced back to the late 16th century, when it appeared in local records and family genealogies from the coastal regions of Fujian. It is believed that the name may have been initially associated with certain occupations or professions that required upright and honorable conduct, such as scholars, government officials, or merchants.

In the 17th century, the TZENG surname began to spread beyond Fujian to other parts of China, particularly in the neighboring provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang. This coincided with the increased mobility and migration of people during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD). Notable individuals with the TZENG surname from this period include Tzeng Guofan (1811-1872), a prominent Qing statesman and military leader who played a crucial role in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as Chinese emigrants began to venture out to other parts of the world, the TZENG surname became more widely dispersed. One notable figure from this era was Tzeng Youren (1878-1936), a pioneering Chinese diplomat who served as the first Chinese ambassador to the United States.

In the 20th century, several individuals with the TZENG surname made significant contributions in various fields. These include Tzeng Yaohuan (1908-1992), a renowned Chinese physicist and educator who made important contributions to the development of nuclear physics in China, and Tzeng Yu-Yan (1924-2014), a respected Taiwanese artist and calligrapher known for his innovative ink brush paintings.

Another notable figure was Tzeng Shao-Lien (1923-2018), a Taiwanese politician and diplomat who served as the first female vice president of Taiwan from 1988 to 1990. More recently, Tzeng Lin-Sheng (born 1941) is a celebrated Taiwanese writer and literary critic who has received numerous awards and accolades for his works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tzeng

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

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

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

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