Tong
A gender-neutral name of Chinese origin meaning "understanding" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 297 living Americans carry the first name Tong. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tong today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tong births was 1993 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tong. 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.
People living today
297
~ 1 in 1,154,055 Americans
Peak year
1993
22 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,940
Tracked since 1946
Census
Tong in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,958 people with the first name Tong, which placed it at #3,939 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
#3,939
National first-name rank
People counted
5.0K
4,958 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tong
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tong is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Tong 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 Tong at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.0% · 4,760
- White1.9% · 93
- Black or African American1.2% · 61
- Two or more races0.5% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Tong: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tong from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 147 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
Tong 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 Tong during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tongs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Tong, while Wisconsin, Minnesota, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tong
The given name Tong has its origins in the Chinese language, tracing back to ancient times. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Chinese word "tong," which means "youth" or "young." This linguistic connection suggests that the name was initially given to boys and young men, symbolizing their youthful vitality and energy.
In Chinese culture, names often carry profound meanings and are carefully chosen to reflect desired attributes or blessings for the child. The name Tong might have been bestowed upon newborns with the hope that they would grow up to embody the qualities of youth, such as vigor, curiosity, and the potential for growth and development.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Tong can be traced back to ancient Chinese literature and historical records. One notable example is Tong Zhongshu, a philosopher and official who lived during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). His influential work on Confucian thought and his contributions to the establishment of the Han imperial ideology made him a prominent figure in Chinese history.
Another famous bearer of the name Tong was Tong Guan, a celebrated Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) poet and calligrapher. His literary works and exceptional calligraphic skills earned him recognition as one of the most accomplished artists of his time.
In the realm of traditional Chinese medicine, Tong Xuan Zhi, a renowned physician during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), made significant contributions to the development of acupuncture and herbal remedies. His writings and teachings had a lasting impact on the practice of traditional Chinese medicine.
Moving forward in history, Tong Shao Yi was a notable figure during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD). He served as a high-ranking military general and played a crucial role in suppressing various rebellions, helping to maintain the stability of the Ming Empire.
In more recent times, the name Tong has been carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields. For instance, Tong Linge (1915–2012) was a acclaimed Chinese opera singer and actress, renowned for her portrayal of traditional Kunqu opera roles.
While the name Tong has its roots in Chinese culture, it has also been adopted and adapted in other parts of the world, reflecting the global influence and spread of Chinese names and traditions.
People
Tong + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tong as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tong: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tong?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 297 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tong 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 1,154,055 US residents.
Is Tong a common name?
We classify Tong as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 309 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tong most popular?
The single biggest year for Tong was 1993, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tong is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tong in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,958 people with the name Tong, or 1.64 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,939 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 Tong 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 Tong?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Tong on both sides of the split. Of the 4,954 people counted with this name, 3,253 were male (65.7%) and 1,701 were female (34.3%). 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 Tong?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tong is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Tong most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Tong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (4,760 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 Tong in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tong a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tong 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 Tong still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tong 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 Tong 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 people have the name Tong?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.