Explore the Family Name Ou Yang

The meaning of Ou Yang

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 歐陽, from Ou-Yu (歐餘), the name of a hill in Wucheng (in present-day Zhejiang province), which was granted to Ti, the second son of king Wujiang (reigned 355–333 BC) in the state of Yue. Most of his descendants lived to the south of the hill called Ou-Yu (歐餘). The southern side of a hill was called Yang (陽) in ancient Chinese; the surname Ou-Yang (歐陽), literally means ‘the south of the Ou-Yu (歐餘) hill’. See also Ou 1. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Ming, Wei, Hui, Jian, Hong, Chieh, Chu, Xin, Zhuo, Baoping, Biao, Bin, Hai, Pu, Quan, Tuan.

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

How common is the last name Ou Yang in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ou Yang has significantly grown in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Ou Yang was ranked 22,612 in terms of popularity among surnames, but jumped to a rank of 15,005 by 2010 - a substantial change of 33.64%. The actual count of individuals bearing this surname also witnessed a remarkable increase of 85.49% during the same period, rising from 1,061 in 2000 to 1,968 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of the surname Ou Yang per 100,000 people surged by 71.79%, from 0.39 in 2000 to 0.67 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#22,612#15,00533.64%
Count1,0611,96885.49%
Proportion per 100k0.390.6771.79%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ou Yang

When it comes to ethnic identity, again referencing the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ou Yang is predominantly associated with the Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity. In both 2000 and 2010, about 97.7% of individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, showing a slight decrease of 0.03% over the decade. During the same period, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races dropped by 23.75%, while there was a modest rise of 15.15% amongst those who identified as White. However, no Ou Yangs identified as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander97.74%97.71%-0.03%
Two or More Races1.6%1.22%-23.75%
White0.66%0.76%15.15%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%