Explore the Family Name Teng

The meaning of Teng

1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 滕 (or rarely 腾), meaning ‘(water) surging’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from Teng (滕), the name of a state (located in present-day Tengxian in Shandong province), which was given to Cuo Shu Xiu, the 14th son of King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). (ii) said to be borne by one of the 25 sons of the legendary emperor Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (iii) adopted as a Han Chinese surname by minority ethnic groups such as Manchus and Mongolians. 2. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form (also Teochew or Hokkien form) of the surname 鄧, see Deng. 3. Chinese: alternative Cantonese form of the surname 丁, see Ding 1. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 陳, see Chen 1. 5. Chinese: Hokkien or Teochew form of the surname 湯. Also variant Romanization of the surname 唐. See Tang 1 and 2. 6. Cambodian: written តេង, of Chinese origin (compare above). Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Cheng, Chia, Chia-Chi, Chunyan, Kam, Ming, Ming Yi, Wei, Yu Ming, Yung, Beng, Bin.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Teng has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 10,984, with a count of 2,657. By 2010, its rank improved to 9,473 and the count increased to 3,433. This represents a rank change of 13.76% and a count increase of 29.21%. The proportion per 100,000 people also rose from 0.98 to 1.16 during this period, marking an increase of 18.37%.

20002010Change
Rank#10,984#9,47313.76%
Count2,6573,43329.21%
Proportion per 100k0.981.1618.37%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Teng

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the majority of individuals with the Teng surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, although the percentage decreased slightly from 93.60% in 2000 to 92.98% in 2010. The percentage identifying as two or more races dropped by 26.91%, and those identifying as White also decreased by 10.16%. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in those identifying as Hispanic, from 0.41% in 2000 to 1.86% in 2010 - a change of 353.66%. There were no recorded instances of individuals with a Teng surname identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander93.6%92.98%-0.66%
Two or More Races3.27%2.39%-26.91%
White2.56%2.3%-10.16%
Hispanic0.41%1.86%353.66%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Teng 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 Teng is Chinese, which comprises 83.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Vietnamese (2.9%) and Filipino & Austronesian (2.5%). Additional ancestries include Korean, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, Chinese Dai, Manchurian & Mongolian, and British & Irish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Chinese83.4%
Vietnamese2.9%
Filipino & Austronesian2.5%
Other11.2%
Teng

Possible origins of the surname Teng

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 Teng have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Zhejiang, China56.90%
Shandong, China56.90%
Fujian, China56.90%
Guangdong, China56.90%
Jiangsu, China56.90%

What Teng 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 Teng is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Teng surname are: M, B4, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

tengPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han

Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Teng 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

Teng

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Teng" Surname 35.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Teng

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Teng" Surname 60.0%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Wellness

Teng

Migraine

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

"Teng" Surname 7.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Teng?

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 Teng 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%