2000
#3,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.90
Uncommon Last name
Zhu
A Chinese surname meaning "vermilion" or "cinnabar," often referring to the red color or the ancient state of Zhu.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,868 Americans carry the last name Zhu. That puts it at #966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zhu 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 Zhu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,387
Census rank
#966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,639 bearers of the surname Zhu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zhu
The surname ZHU originated in China, where it has been recorded for several centuries. It is derived from the Chinese word "zhu" which means "lord" or "master." The name likely originated as a title or honorific bestowed upon an individual of high social standing or a government official.
In Chinese historical records, the surname ZHU can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). During this period, the ZHU surname was prominent among the aristocracy and scholar-officials. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Zhu Qiqian, a renowned scholar and calligrapher who lived during the late Tang Dynasty (859-907 AD).
The surname gained further prominence during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), when many ZHU families held influential positions in the imperial court and bureaucracy. One notable figure from this period was Zhu Xi (1130-1200 AD), a Confucian philosopher and scholar who played a significant role in reviving and interpreting Confucian teachings.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the ZHU surname reached its zenith of prominence as the imperial family adopted it. The founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398 AD), was a former Buddhist monk who rose to power and established the ZHU family as the ruling dynasty.
Another influential figure with the ZHU surname was Zhu Di (1360-1424 AD), the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who was known for his patronage of the arts and his ambitious construction projects, including the Forbidden City in Beijing.
In the modern era, the ZHU surname has continued to be widely represented in various fields. One notable individual was Zhu De (1886-1976 AD), a prominent Chinese communist military leader and one of the founders of the People's Republic of China.
Overall, the surname ZHU has a rich and illustrious history in China, spanning several dynasties and producing numerous influential scholars, philosophers, and political leaders throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zhu
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zhu 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 Zhu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.6% · 34,441
- White2.2% · 773
- Two or more races0.5% · 177
- Black or African American0.5% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zhu
Zhu 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
#1,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,265
+10,757 bearers (+102.4%)
Per 100,000 7.21
Rank movement Up 1,453 places
2020
#966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,639
+14,374 bearers (+67.6%)
Per 100,000 11.92
Rank movement Up 728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,147 | 10,508 | 3.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,694 | 21,265 | 7.21 | +10,757 bearers (+102.4%) | Up 1,453 places |
| 2020 | #966 | 35,639 | 11.92 | +14,374 bearers (+67.6%) | Up 728 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 Zhu 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 | #1,694 | #966 | 43.0% |
| Count | 21,265 | 35,639 | 67.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.21 | 11.92 | 65.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zhu bearers went from 21,265 to 35,639 (+67.6% change). The surname moved up 728 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,694 to #966.
FAQ
Zhu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zhu?
Name Census estimates that about 40,868 living Americans carry the surname Zhu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,387 residents.
How common is Zhu?
Zhu ranks #966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,639 people with the surname Zhu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Zhu.
Has Zhu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zhu went from 21,265 recorded bearers to 35,639. That is an increase of 14,374 (+67.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,694 to #966.
What does the Census say about the background of Zhu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zhu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) 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 Zhu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (34,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zhu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.6%), White (2.2%), 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 Zhu (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 Zhu mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "vermilion" or "cinnabar," often referring to the red color or the ancient state of Zhu. 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 Zhu (11.92 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 Zhu?
See how many people are called Zhu on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.