2000
#963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.31
Common Last name
Zhang
A Chinese surname meaning "archer" or "bowyer," referring to an ancestor's occupation or military role.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139,961 Americans carry the last name Zhang. That puts it at #252 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 40.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,449 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zhang 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 Zhang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
140K
1 in 2,449
Census rank
#252
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
40.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122,053 bearers of the surname Zhang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 40.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 252nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zhang
The surname ZHANG originates from China and can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC – 256 BC). It is one of the most common surnames in mainland China and among Chinese communities worldwide. The name is derived from the Old Chinese word "Zhang," which means "stretch" or "extend," and was initially used as a descriptive surname for an individual's physical appearance or occupation.
ZHANG is a single-character surname, which was prevalent during the ancient Zhou Dynasty when single-character surnames were commonly used. The name has various Chinese characters, but the most common one is written as "张" in simplified Chinese and "張" in traditional Chinese.
Historical records indicate that the ZHANG surname can be found in ancient Chinese texts and documents, such as the "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, a renowned historian from the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). The text mentions several prominent figures with the surname ZHANG, including Zhang Liang (circa 250 BC), a renowned military strategist and advisor to the emperor.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the ZHANG surname can be found in the "Zuozhuan" (Commentary of Zuo), a historical text from the Spring and Autumn period (770 BC – 476 BC), which mentions a person named Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi was a nobleman from the state of Lu (present-day Shandong Province) who played a significant role in the political affairs of his time.
Throughout Chinese history, several notable individuals have borne the ZHANG surname. These include Zhang Zhuozhen (1670 – 1718), a renowned Qing Dynasty painter and calligrapher; Zhang Zhidong (1837 – 1909), a prominent statesman and reformist during the late Qing Dynasty; Zhang Xueliang (1901 – 2001), a powerful warlord and military leader in the early 20th century; Zhang Yimou (born 1950), an acclaimed film director known for his work in the Fifth Generation of Chinese cinema; and Zhang Ziyi (born 1979), an internationally renowned actress who has starred in numerous award-winning films.
The ZHANG surname has also been associated with various place names in China, such as Zhangzhou (a city in Fujian Province), Zhangjiajie (a famous scenic area in Hunan Province), and Zhangbei (a county in Hebei Province). These place names often derive from local historical figures or events related to individuals with the ZHANG surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zhang
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zhang 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 Zhang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.2% · 117,449
- White2.4% · 2,914
- Two or more races0.6% · 693
- Black or African American0.5% · 628
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 345
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zhang
Zhang 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
#472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,125
+36,923 bearers (+111.2%)
Per 100,000 23.77
Rank movement Up 491 places
2020
#252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122,053
+51,928 bearers (+74.1%)
Per 100,000 40.83
Rank movement Up 220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #963 | 33,202 | 12.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #472 | 70,125 | 23.77 | +36,923 bearers (+111.2%) | Up 491 places |
| 2020 | #252 | 122,053 | 40.83 | +51,928 bearers (+74.1%) | Up 220 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 Zhang 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 | #472 | #252 | 46.6% |
| Count | 70,125 | 122,053 | 74.1% |
| Per 100K | 23.77 | 40.83 | 71.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zhang bearers went from 70,125 to 122,053 (+74.1% change). The surname moved up 220 positions in the national ranking, going from #472 to #252.
FAQ
Zhang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zhang?
Name Census estimates that about 139,961 living Americans carry the surname Zhang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,449 residents.
How common is Zhang?
Zhang ranks #252 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 40.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 41 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 122,053 people with the surname Zhang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139,961), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 40.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 40.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 41 of them to have the surname Zhang.
Has Zhang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zhang went from 70,125 recorded bearers to 122,053. That is an increase of 51,928 (+74.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #472 to #252.
What does the Census say about the background of Zhang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Zhang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (117,449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zhang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.2%), White (2.4%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Zhang (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 Zhang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "archer" or "bowyer," referring to an ancestor's occupation or military role. 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 Zhang (40.83 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 Zhang?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.