Explore the Family Name Ong

The meaning of Ong

1. Chinese: Hokkien and Taiwanese form of the surnames 王 and 汪, see Wang 1 and 2. It is also found in Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia (compare 6 below). 2. Chinese: Hokkien and Taiwanese form of the surname 翁, see Weng 1. The dialects in which this form of the name is found are spoken in Fujian and Taiwan, from where some people migrated to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄧 possibly based on its pronunciation of the Siyi Cantonese subdialect (also known as Sze Yup or Four Districts dialect including Taishanese) spoken in southern Guangdong, see Deng. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 黃, possibly based on its pronunciation of Southern Min Chinese dialects (such as Hokkien and Teochew), see Huang 1. It is also found in Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia. 5. Vietnamese (Ông): from the Chinese surname 翁, see Weng 1. It is also found among the Cham people in southern Vietnam. 6. Cambodian: written អុង, of Chinese origin, from 王 (see Wang 1, compare 1 above). The surname អុង also corresponds to the Khmer word meaning ‘large water jug’, itself of Chinese origin as well. 7. English (Suffolk): from the rare Middle English personal name Ung(e), Onge (Old Norse Ungi, Unge, a weakly declined forms of ungr ‘young’). Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Hung, Tuan, Quang, Lien, Minh, Nga, Binh, Chau, Chuoi, Cuong, Dung, Hien. Chinese Beng, Cheng, Boon, Eng, Kwok, Chee, Chiang, Chin, Ching, Hang, Hong, Jin. Spanish Francisco, Carlos, Ernesto, Manuel, Alejandro, Arsenio, Artemio, Belita, Carmencita, Conrado, Edgardo, Eduardo.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ong in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ong has seen a rise in popularity over the years. In 2000, it was ranked 4343 and had a count of 7572. However, by 2010, its rank had improved to 3704 and the count had risen to 9584, representing a 14.71% increase in rank and a 26.57% increase in count. This indicates that the proportion per 100,000 people with this surname had also risen, going from 2.81 in 2000 to 3.25 in 2010, reflecting a change of 15.66%.

20002010Change
Rank#4,343#3,70414.71%
Count7,5729,58426.57%
Proportion per 100k2.813.2515.66%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ong

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Ong, as revealed by the Decennial U.S. Census data, is predominantly Asian/Pacific Islander. This group accounted for 86.78% of the holders of the surname in 2000, and this percentage increased slightly to 87.39% in 2010. Other significant ethnicities included those identifying as two or more races (which saw a 6.97% increase from 2000 to 2010), Whites (which decreased by 16.06%), Hispanics (which rose by an incredible 52.85%), and a small fraction identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, although these categories were suppressed in 2010 for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander86.78%87.39%0.7%
White8.72%7.32%-16.06%
Two or More Races2.87%3.07%6.97%
Hispanic1.23%1.88%52.85%
Black0.3%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.11%0%0%

Ong ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Ong is Chinese, which comprises 66.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Filipino & Austronesian (7.7%) and Vietnamese (7.0%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, French & German, Chinese Dai, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Chinese66.1%
Filipino & Austronesian7.7%
Vietnamese7.0%
Other19.1%
Ong

Possible origins of the surname Ong

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Ong have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Guangdong, China79.70%
Fujian, China78.50%
Jiangsu, China76.60%
Zhejiang, China76.60%
Shanghai, China75.40%

What Ong haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Ong is O-F8, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F8 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F11 and O-F46, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Tsai, Wong, Su, Luo, Tang, Chen, Chu, Huang, Wang, Peng.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ong surname are: M, F1a1, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.

ongPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Han Chinese

Haplogroup O-Page23 has been found in several populations of the Han Chinese ethnic group. The ancestors of the Han, called the Huaxia, lived in the upriver basin of the Yellow River 5,000-6,000 years ago. As agricultural technology improved, the Huaxia spread east and south, and became the Han Chinese. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been three major migrations of the Han southward. The first of these migrations occurred during the Jin Dynasty from 317 to 420 CE, when nearly one million people moved south. A second migration occurred during the Tang Dynasty, after the An-Shi Rebellion, between 755 and 762 CE. The last migration occurred during the Southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1297 CE, when nearly 5 million people migrated southward. The Pinghua, a branch of Han in which haplogroup O2a2b1a1 is particularly common, may be descendants of indigenous minority groups that adopted Han culture during one such major migration event.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent

While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Ong have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Ong

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Ong" Surname 40.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Ong

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Ong" Surname 25.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Ong

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Ong" Surname 18.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Ong

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Ong" Surname 9.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Ong?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Ong are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

ε4 variant

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and personality changes. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, developing after age 65. Many factors, including genetics, can influence a person's chances of developing the condition. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the most common genetic variant associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease: the ε4 variant in the APOE gene. Learn more about Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Chinese 18.2%

23andMe Users 25.5%