2000
#2,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.29
Uncommon Last name
Zhou
A Chinese surname meaning "to grow" or "to flourish," originally referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,906 Americans carry the last name Zhou. That puts it at #871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zhou 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 Zhou with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,633
Census rank
#871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,160 bearers of the surname Zhou in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zhou
The surname Zhou has its origins in China, with records of the name dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). It is considered one of the oldest and most prominent Chinese family names. The name is derived from the ancient state of Zhou, located in present-day Shaanxi Province, which was a major power during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC).
During the Zhou Dynasty, the name Zhou was closely associated with the ruling royal family and nobility. Several important historical figures bore this surname, including Zhou Gong, a renowned statesman and philosopher who is credited with establishing the principles of the Rites of Zhou, a comprehensive guide to governance and social norms.
The earliest recorded instances of the Zhou surname can be found in various ancient texts, such as the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, a monumental historical work completed in the 1st century BC. This text contains detailed accounts of the Zhou royal lineage and their influential role in shaping the course of Chinese history.
One of the most famous individuals with the Zhou surname was Zhou Enlai (1898-1976), a prominent Chinese communist revolutionary and statesman who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death. His significant contributions to the establishment and development of modern China have cemented his legacy as one of the country's most influential political figures.
Another notable figure was Zhou Youguang (1906-2017), a renowned linguist and economist who is best known for his instrumental role in developing the Pinyin romanization system for Mandarin Chinese, which has become an international standard for transcribing Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet.
The Zhou surname has also been associated with various place names throughout China's history. For instance, the ancient state of Zhou was located in what is now known as the Zhou County in Shaanxi Province, which continues to bear the name to this day.
Other prominent individuals with the Zhou surname include Zhou Tienyi (1914-1999), a Chinese mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry, and Zhou Xuan (1918-1957), a celebrated Chinese writer and poet known for his innovative literary works during the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zhou
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zhou 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 Zhou surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.3% · 37,702
- White2.3% · 914
- Two or more races0.6% · 225
- Black or African American0.5% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zhou
Zhou 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
#1,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,437
+11,851 bearers (+102.3%)
Per 100,000 7.95
Rank movement Up 1,307 places
2020
#871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,160
+15,723 bearers (+67.1%)
Per 100,000 13.10
Rank movement Up 661 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,839 | 11,586 | 4.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,532 | 23,437 | 7.95 | +11,851 bearers (+102.3%) | Up 1,307 places |
| 2020 | #871 | 39,160 | 13.10 | +15,723 bearers (+67.1%) | Up 661 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 Zhou 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 | #1,532 | #871 | 43.1% |
| Count | 23,437 | 39,160 | 67.1% |
| Per 100K | 7.95 | 13.10 | 64.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zhou bearers went from 23,437 to 39,160 (+67.1% change). The surname moved up 661 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,532 to #871.
FAQ
Zhou surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zhou?
Name Census estimates that about 44,906 living Americans carry the surname Zhou. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,633 residents.
How common is Zhou?
Zhou ranks #871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,160 people with the surname Zhou. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Zhou.
Has Zhou become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zhou went from 23,437 recorded bearers to 39,160. That is an increase of 15,723 (+67.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,532 to #871.
What does the Census say about the background of Zhou?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) 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 Zhou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (37,702 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zhou appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.3%), White (2.3%), 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 Zhou (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 Zhou mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "to grow" or "to flourish," originally referring to a place name. 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 Zhou (13.10 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 share the surname Zhou?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.