2000
#9,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Vong
A Vietnamese surname of unknown meaning, possibly referring to a square-shaped object or a region in Vietnam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,557 Americans carry the last name Vong. That puts it at #6,696 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vong 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 Vong with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,680
Census rank
#6,696
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,846 bearers of the surname Vong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6696th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vong
The surname VONG originated in the Guangdong province of southern China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "fong" meaning prosperous or abundant. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Vong" in ancient records from the region.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the surname VONG appeared in various imperial records and local manuscripts from Guangdong. One notable reference was found in a census record from 1124 AD listing a family by the name of Vong residing in the city of Guangzhou.
The first recorded bearer of the VONG surname was a scholar named Vong Zhiyuan, who lived in the 12th century and served as a government official during the Southern Song Dynasty. Another early figure was Vong Shizhen (1593-1638), a renowned philosopher and writer from Guangdong during the Ming Dynasty.
In the 17th century, the VONG surname spread to other parts of China, particularly the neighboring provinces of Fujian and Guangxi. During this time, variations of the name such as "Vang" and "Vung" also emerged in some local dialects.
One of the most notable bearers of the VONG name was Vong Xingpeng (1718-1784), a celebrated poet and calligrapher from Guangdong during the Qing Dynasty. Another influential figure was Vong Zhongxian (1829-1898), a prominent scholar and reformist who advocated for modernization in late imperial China.
As Chinese immigrants began settling in various parts of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, the VONG surname spread to countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and North America. Some examples of notable individuals with this surname include Vong Pao (1905-1975), a respected Vietnamese writer and journalist, and Vong Mui (1934-2002), a renowned Malaysian artist and sculptor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vong
Among Census respondents with the surname Vong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vong 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 Vong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.7% · 4,591
- White2.2% · 107
- Two or more races1.5% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 64
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vong
Vong 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
#7,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,443
+1,343 bearers (+43.3%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 2,129 places
2020
#6,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,846
+403 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 800 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,625 | 3,100 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,496 | 4,443 | 1.51 | +1,343 bearers (+43.3%) | Up 2,129 places |
| 2020 | #6,696 | 4,846 | 1.62 | +403 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 800 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 Vong 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 | #7,496 | #6,696 | 10.7% |
| Count | 4,443 | 4,846 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.62 | 7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vong bearers went from 4,443 to 4,846 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 800 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,496 to #6,696.
FAQ
Vong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vong?
Name Census estimates that about 5,557 living Americans carry the surname Vong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,680 residents.
How common is Vong?
Vong ranks #6,696 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 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 4,846 people with the surname Vong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,557), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 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 Vong.
Has Vong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vong went from 4,443 recorded bearers to 4,846. That is an increase of 403 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,496 to #6,696.
What does the Census say about the background of Vong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Vong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (4,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.7%), White (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Vong (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 Vong mean?
A Vietnamese surname of unknown meaning, possibly referring to a square-shaped object or a region in Vietnam. 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 Vong (1.62 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 surname Vong?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.