Explore the Family Name Zang

The meaning of Zang

1. South German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a blacksmith, from Middle High German zange ‘pliers’, German Zange. 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 臧, which means ‘good, right’: from the placename Zang (臧), the name of a fief (located in present-day Qixia in Shandong province) granted to Kou, son of the Duke Xiao of Lu (ruler of the state of Lu, died 769 BC). His descendants later inherited the name of the fiefdom as their surname.

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

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

The popularity of the surname Zang has seen a slight increase from 2000 to 2010, according to data collected by the Decennial U.S. Census. In the year 2000, the last name Zang ranked 14,622 in popularity, but by 2010 it had moved up the ranks to position 14,252, marking a 2.53% change. The number of individuals with this surname also rose within this decade. The count increased from 1,866 in 2000 to 2,103 in 2010, which is a notable rise of 12.7%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Zang per 100,000 people also experienced a small growth from 0.69 to 0.71.

20002010Change
Rank#14,622#14,2522.53%
Count1,8662,10312.7%
Proportion per 100k0.690.712.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zang

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Zang has transformed over the years as revealed by the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the surname were identified as White (77.65%), followed by those who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander (17.85%). However, by 2010, there was a considerable increase in the number of individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, rising from 17.85% to 29.43%. On the other hand, the percentage of White individuals decreased to 66%. There were also minor changes noted for other ethnic identities. The percentage of those identifying as Black decreased from 1.66% to 1%, and those identifying with two or more races slightly declined from 1.45% to 1.43%. There was no recorded Hispanic population in 2000, but by 2010, they represented 1.62% of the Zang surname bearers. Similarly, those identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native appeared in the 2010 data, accounting for 0.52%.

20002010Change
White77.65%66%-15%
Asian/Pacific Islander17.85%29.43%64.87%
Hispanic0%1.62%0%
Two or More Races1.45%1.43%-1.38%
Black1.66%1%-39.76%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.52%0%