2000
#95,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Xuan
A surname of Chinese origin indicating a place name or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 931 Americans carry the last name Xuan. That puts it at #30,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 368,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Xuan 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
931
1 in 368,157
Census rank
#30,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
812
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 812 bearers of the surname Xuan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Xuan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Xuan
The surname Xuan is of Chinese origin, with deep historical roots in China dating back several centuries. Predominantly found in regions such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Henan, the name Xuan is derived from ancient Chinese characters that encompass a range of meanings. The character "宣" means to declare or to announce, and historically, it has also been associated with imperial declarations and proclamations.
Historical references to the surname Xuan can be traced back to ancient Chinese texts and records where family names were meticulously documented. In the Song Dynasty-era text, the "Hundred Family Surnames" (百家姓), which dates to around the 10th-11th centuries, the surname Xuan is prominently listed. This demonstrates the antiquity and continuity of the name over a millennium.
The earliest recorded examples of the surname Xuan appear in the historical writings of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). One notable figure from this period is Xuan Zhen (宣真), a well-known Taoist scholar born in 843 AD and whose works contributed significantly to Taoist literature. Another prominent individual was Xuan Jian (宣简), an official of the Southern Dynasties in the 5th century, recognized for his contributions to the governance and administration of his region.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the Xuan family name continued to appear in official records. One such individual was Xuan Cai (宣才), born in 1501 AD, a notable scholar and poet whose works are still appreciated in Chinese literary circles. His contributions to poetry and the arts were significant enough to be recorded in various anthologies of the time.
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the surname Xuan gained further prominence. Xuan Li (宣礼), born in 1723, was a respected physician known for his advancements in traditional Chinese medicine. His medical texts were widely studied and influenced the practice of medicine in his region.
Another historical figure with the surname Xuan is Xuan De (宣德), an official during the late Qing Dynasty, born in 1798. His political career and efforts in the reformation of regional policies were well-documented in government records.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Xuan has maintained its presence in Chinese society, evolving slightly in its spellings and regional adaptations but consistently representing a lineage of individuals who contributed to Chinese culture, governance, literature, and science. The name Xuan continues to be recognized for its historical significance and the notable achievements of those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Xuan
Among Census respondents with the surname Xuan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Xuan 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 Xuan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.9% · 787
- White2.0% · 16
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.4% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Xuan
Xuan 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
#47,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 445
+268 bearers (+151.4%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 47,953 places
2020
#30,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 812
+367 bearers (+82.5%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 16,896 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #95,567 | 177 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,614 | 445 | 0.15 | +268 bearers (+151.4%) | Up 47,953 places |
| 2020 | #30,718 | 812 | 0.27 | +367 bearers (+82.5%) | Up 16,896 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 Xuan 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 | #47,614 | #30,718 | 35.5% |
| Count | 445 | 812 | 82.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.27 | 81.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Xuan bearers went from 445 to 812 (+82.5% change). The surname moved up 16,896 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,614 to #30,718.
FAQ
Xuan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Xuan?
Name Census estimates that about 931 living Americans carry the surname Xuan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 368,157 residents.
How common is Xuan?
Xuan ranks #30,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 812 people with the surname Xuan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Xuan.
Has Xuan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Xuan went from 445 recorded bearers to 812. That is an increase of 367 (+82.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #47,614 to #30,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Xuan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Xuan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Xuan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (787 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Xuan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.9%), White (2.0%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Xuan (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 Xuan mean?
A surname of Chinese origin indicating a place name or residence. 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 Xuan (0.27 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 Americans have the surname Xuan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.