2000
#1,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.76
Uncommon Last name
Xiong
A Chinese surname meaning "bear," indicating a person's strength, courage, and resilience.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,813 Americans carry the last name Xiong. That puts it at #750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Xiong 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.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,615
Census rank
#750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,183 bearers of the surname Xiong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Xiong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Xiong
The surname "XIONG" originated from China and has been in existence since ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "熊" which means "bear" in the Mandarin language. The name is believed to have been given to individuals who exhibited traits associated with bears, such as strength, courage, and resilience.
The earliest recorded use of the surname "XIONG" can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), where it was found in various historical records and literature. During this period, the name was predominantly found in the central and southern regions of China.
One notable historical reference to the surname "XIONG" is found in the "Records of the Grand Historian" (史記), a monumental historical work compiled by Sima Qian during the Han Dynasty. This work mentions several individuals with the surname "XIONG" who held influential positions in the imperial court or military.
In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the name "XIONG" gained prominence with the rise of the Xiong clan, a powerful family that produced several notable figures. One such figure was Xiong Qu (631-690 AD), a renowned general and statesman who played a significant role in the Tang military campaigns against the Western Turks and the Khitan tribes.
Another notable individual with the surname "XIONG" was Xiong Shili (1885-1968), a prominent modern Chinese philosopher and educator. He was a leading figure in the development of the New Confucian movement and made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and epistemology.
Throughout history, the surname "XIONG" has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations in China. For example, the county of Xiong'an in Hebei Province derives its name from the surname, suggesting that the area was once inhabited or governed by members of the Xiong clan.
Other notable individuals with the surname "XIONG" include Xiong Qinglai (1475-1548), a renowned Ming Dynasty scholar and poet; Xiong Foxi (1896-1965), a Chinese revolutionary and military leader during the Second Sino-Japanese War; and Xiong Zhenhuan (1610-1693), a prominent Qing Dynasty politician and writer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Xiong
Among Census respondents with the surname Xiong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Xiong 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 Xiong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.3% · 43,964
- White1.1% · 502
- Two or more races1.0% · 451
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 160
- Black or African American0.2% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Xiong
Xiong 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
#929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,499
+11,163 bearers (+42.4%)
Per 100,000 12.71
Rank movement Up 290 places
2020
#750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,183
+7,684 bearers (+20.5%)
Per 100,000 15.12
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,219 | 26,336 | 9.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #929 | 37,499 | 12.71 | +11,163 bearers (+42.4%) | Up 290 places |
| 2020 | #750 | 45,183 | 15.12 | +7,684 bearers (+20.5%) | Up 179 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 Xiong 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 | #929 | #750 | 19.3% |
| Count | 37,499 | 45,183 | 20.5% |
| Per 100K | 12.71 | 15.12 | 18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Xiong bearers went from 37,499 to 45,183 (+20.5% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #929 to #750.
FAQ
Xiong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Xiong?
Name Census estimates that about 51,813 living Americans carry the surname Xiong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,615 residents.
How common is Xiong?
Xiong ranks #750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,183 people with the surname Xiong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,813), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Xiong.
Has Xiong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Xiong went from 37,499 recorded bearers to 45,183. That is an increase of 7,684 (+20.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #929 to #750.
What does the Census say about the background of Xiong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Xiong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Xiong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (43,964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Xiong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.3%), White (1.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Xiong (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 Xiong mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "bear," indicating a person's strength, courage, and resilience. 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 Xiong (15.12 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 have the last name Xiong?
Find out how many people have the last name Xiong on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.