Chong
A Chinese name derived from a term meaning "bright" or "prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 506 living Americans carry the first name Chong. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 59.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Chong today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chong births was 1991 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chong. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Chong was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
506
~ 1 in 677,380 Americans
Peak year
1991
35 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2004 SSA rank
#11,663
Tracked since 1926
Census
Chong in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 10,498 people with the first name Chong, which placed it at #2,382 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,382
National first-name rank
People counted
10K
10,498 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
97.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chong
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chong is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Chong described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Chong at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.8% · 10,269
- Two or more races1.1% · 111
- White0.7% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 23
- Black or African American0.1% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Chong
Chong is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 562 total registrations, 336 (59.8%) were male and 226 (40.2%) were female.
Chong as a male name
- Ranked #11,663 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 1989 (24 births)
Chong as a female name
- Ranked #13,944 in 1996
- 5 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1991 (12 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chong on both sides of the split. Of the 10,492 people counted with this name, 3,941 were male (37.6%) and 6,551 were female (62.4%).
Popularity
Chong: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chong from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 229 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chong by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Chong during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chongs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Kansas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Chong, while Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 65 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chong
The name Chong has its origins in various cultures and languages across Asia. One of the earliest known sources of the name can be traced back to Chinese etymology, where it is derived from the word "zhong," which means "center" or "middle." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with concepts of balance, harmony, and centrality.
In Korean culture, the name Chong is believed to have roots in the word "jong," which can mean "bell" or "gong." This connection implies that the name may have held symbolic meanings related to sound, resonance, and perhaps even spiritual or ceremonial significance.
The name Chong can also be found in ancient Sanskrit texts from India, where it is believed to have been derived from the word "chandra," meaning "moon." This Sanskrit origin suggests a potential association with lunar cycles, celestial bodies, and perhaps even astrological or mythological references.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chong. One of the earliest recorded examples is Chong Er, a Chinese philosopher and scholar who lived during the 3rd century BCE. He is known for his contributions to the development of Confucian thought and his writings on ethics and governance.
Another prominent figure with the name Chong is Chong Mong-ju, a renowned Korean scholar and writer from the 15th century. He is celebrated for his contributions to Korean literature, particularly his historical narratives and commentaries on Confucian classics.
In the realm of religion, Chong Yagyong, a Korean philosopher and scholar from the 18th century, is noteworthy for his efforts to reconcile Confucian ideals with practical governance and social reform. His works influenced the intellectual discourse of his time and beyond.
Moving to more modern times, Chong Wook-Young, a South Korean businessman and philanthropist, made significant contributions to the fields of education and social welfare in the 20th century. He founded several schools and universities, as well as various charitable organizations.
Finally, Chong Chieng Jen, a Malaysian politician and diplomat, served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia in the late 20th century. He played a crucial role in the country's economic and political development during his tenure.
These examples demonstrate the diverse cultural and historical contexts in which the name Chong has been present, spanning various fields and eras. While the specific origins and meanings may vary across regions, the name has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human history.
People
Chong + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chong as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Chong: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chong?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 506 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chong going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 677,380 US residents.
Is Chong a common name?
We classify Chong as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 562 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chong most popular?
The single biggest year for Chong was 1991, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chong is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chong in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 10,498 people with the name Chong, or 3.48 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,382 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Chong in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Chong?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chong on both sides of the split. Of the 10,492 people counted with this name, 3,941 were male (37.6%) and 6,551 were female (62.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Chong?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chong is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and White (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Chong most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Chong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.8% (10,269 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Chong in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chong a male name?
Yes, 59.8% of people registered as Chong in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Chong still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chong in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Chong can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Chong?
See how many Americans are named Chong on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.