Explore the Family Name Tsai

The meaning of Tsai

Chinese: 1. alternative Mandarin form of the surname 蔡, see Cai 1. 2. alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 宰 and 載, see Zai 1 and 2. 3. Cantonese form of the surname 齊, see Qi 1. 4. Cantonese form of the surname 柴, see Chai 1. 5. variant Romanization of the surname 崔, see Cui. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Ming, Ching, Wei, Chen, Chin, Tsung, Wen, Yong, Cheng, Chi, Chih, Hong.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Tsai has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Tsai was ranked as the 3,503rd most popular surname in the US, but by 2010 had moved up to the 3,291st position, marking an increase in ranking by 6.05%. The count of individuals with the Tsai surname also increased from 9,332 in 2000 to 10,968 in 2010, signifying a growth of 17.53%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Tsai per 100,000 people rose from 3.46 to 3.72, a change of 7.51%.

20002010Change
Rank#3,503#3,2916.05%
Count9,33210,96817.53%
Proportion per 100k3.463.727.51%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tsai

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the surname Tsai identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group accounted for 95.09% of all Tsaies in 2000, and while this figure slightly decreased by 0.55% to 94.57% in 2010, it still represents the dominant ethnic identity among this group. Notably, there was an increase in those identifying as Hispanic, with the percentage climbing from 0.32% in 2000 to 0.67% in 2010, a substantial surge of 109.38%. However, the percentages of those identifying as White, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively stable or were marked as suppressed (S) for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander95.09%94.57%-0.55%
Two or More Races2.65%2.86%7.92%
White1.78%1.75%-1.69%
Hispanic0.32%0.67%109.38%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Tsai 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 Tsai is Chinese, which comprises 88.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (2.6%) and Filipino & Austronesian (1.7%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Vietnamese, Korean, Eastern European, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Chinese88.0%
British & Irish2.6%
Filipino & Austronesian1.7%
Other7.7%
Tsai

Possible origins of the surname Tsai

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 Tsai have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Guangdong, China78.60%
Fujian, China78.00%
Zhejiang, China77.70%
Shanghai, China77.40%
Jiangsu, China77.10%

What Tsai 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 Tsai 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-F1759 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: Huang, Cheng, Wu, Hsu, Xu, Chen, Wang, Zhou, Tan, Li.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Tsai surname are: M7b, F1a1, F2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

tsaiPaternal 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 Tsai 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

Tsai

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Tsai" Surname 23.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Tsai

Misophonia

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

"Tsai" Surname 22.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Tsai

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Tsai" Surname 18.8%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Tsai

Migraine

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

"Tsai" Surname 8.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Tsai?

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 Tsai 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%