Explore the Family Name Pang

The meaning of Pang

1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 龐, meaning ‘mammoth, massive’, or ‘face’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Pang (龐), the name of a fief (located in southeastern Hancheng in Shaanxi province) granted to descendants of Bi Gong Gao (Duke of Bi), the 15th son of the virtuous King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). (ii) in some families, this surname goes back to various minority ethnic groups in ancient western China. 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 逄 (meaning ‘stop’ in ancient Chinese) (also written as 逢 in ancient Chinese): (i) from Pang (逄), the name of a fief granted to Pang Boling (逄伯陵), an official who lived during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (ii) said to be borne by descendants of Pang Meng (逄孟), a legendary figure who was versed in archery during the early Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). 3. Chinese: Cantonese and Hakka form of the surname 彭. Also Cantonese form of the surname 蓬. See Peng 1 and 2. 4. Chinese: Teochew, Hokkien, and Taiwanese form of the surname 馮, see Feng 1. The dialects in which this form is used can be found in eastern Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan, from where many people migrated to Singapore, Malaysia, and other parts of Southeast Asia. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 潘, see Pan 1. 6. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 范, see Fan 1. 7. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 方, see Fang 1. 8. Korean: written 방, in Chinese characters 方, meaning ‘direction’. There are actually five Chinese characters for this surname; however, only 方 is common enough to warrant treatment here. The clan associated with this character is the Onyang Pang, which was founded by a scholar of the Tang Chinese Royal Academy called Pang Chi (方 智), who lived in Hunan province, China, until his migration to Shilla in 669 AD. There is a gap in the records after Pang Chi; the ancestor who settled in the Onyang area of Ch’ungch’ŏng South Province at the beginning of the Koryŏ kingdom was named Pang Un (方 雲). Three other Pang clans are descended from the Onyang Pang clan. Compare Bang 1. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wai, Chi, Kam, Kwai, Siu, Sun, Yuan, Zhen, Chan, Huiling, Hyun, Ling.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Pang' has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Pang' was ranked 4865th in terms of frequency, but by 2010 it had climbed to 4645th place, representing a change of 4.52%. The count of individuals carrying this surname also increased during this period from 6627 to 7642, showing a 15.32% rise. Furthermore, the proportion of 'Pang' per 100k people in the population grew from 2.46 to 2.59, marking an increase of 5.28%.

20002010Change
Rank#4,865#4,6454.52%
Count6,6277,64215.32%
Proportion per 100k2.462.595.28%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pang

When considering ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that a large majority of individuals with the surname 'Pang' identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, despite seeing a slight decrease from 88.47% in 2000 to 86.97% in 2010. Those identifying with two or more races under the 'Pang' surname saw an increase of 17.99%, moving from 5.28% to 6.23% over the decade. The proportion of those identifying as White decreased slightly to 3.93%, while Hispanic representation saw a substantial rise of 35.03%, albeit from a small base of 1.77%. The Black community also experienced growth, moving from 0.36% to 0.48%. Lastly, there was a complete drop in American Indian and Alaskan Native representation within the 'Pang' surname bearers, falling from 0.08% to 0.00%.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander88.47%86.97%-1.7%
Two or More Races5.28%6.23%17.99%
White4.04%3.93%-2.72%
Hispanic1.77%2.39%35.03%
Black0.36%0.48%33.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.08%0%-100%

Pang 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 Pang is Chinese, which comprises 66.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Japanese (5.4%) and Chinese Dai (5.4%). Additional ancestries include Korean, British & Irish, Vietnamese, French & German, and Filipino & Austronesian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Chinese66.3%
Japanese5.4%
Chinese Dai5.4%
Other22.9%
Pang

Possible origins of the surname Pang

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 Pang have recent ancestry locations all within China.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Guangdong, China69.70%
Jiangsu, China66.00%
Zhejiang, China65.20%
Shanghai, China64.80%
Shandong, China63.90%

What Pang 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 Pang 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-M159 and O-F17, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lam, Lim, Lin, Zheng, Huang, Su, Chou, Cheung, Chen, Yao.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Pang surname are: F1a1, B5a1, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

pangPaternal 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 Pang 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

Pang

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Pang" Surname 31.2%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Pang

Misophonia

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

"Pang" Surname 15.9%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Pang

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Pang" Surname 16.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Pang

Migraine

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

"Pang" Surname 10.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Pang?

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 Pang 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%