2000
#2,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.80
Uncommon Last name
Chow
A Chinese occupational surname referring to a chef, cook, or someone who works with food.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,729 Americans carry the last name Chow. That puts it at #2,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,373 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chow surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,373
Census rank
#2,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,205 bearers of the surname Chow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chow, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chow
The surname Chow originated in China, with the earliest known records dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese word "zhou," which refers to a prefecture or administrative division during ancient times. The name is believed to have originated in various regions across China, including Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chow can be found in the "Qing Bai Lei Chao," a compilation of historical records from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). This text mentions individuals with the surname Chow holding various official positions within the imperial government.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the name Chow gained prominence in the southern regions of China. Notable individuals from this period include Chow Hsing-Chih (1593-1638), a renowned scholar and calligrapher, and Chow Qing-Yuan (1537-1612), a prominent Confucian philosopher and writer.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Chow immigrated to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Southeast Asia. One of the earliest documented Chows in the United States was Chow Ah Chew (1828-1910), a merchant and community leader in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Another notable figure was Anna May Wong (1905-1961), a Chinese-American actress who became the first Asian-American leading lady in Hollywood. She was born Wong Liu Tsong and later adopted the stage name Anna May Wong.
Other famous individuals with the surname Chow include Chow Yun-Fat (born 1955), a renowned Hong Kong actor known for his roles in films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Replacements," and Steven Chow (born 1962), a celebrated Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, and comedian known for his work in the "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer" movies.
The surname Chow has also been associated with various place names in China, such as Chow Hsien (or Zhou Xian) in Henan Province and Chow Shan (or Zhou Shan) in Zhejiang Province. These place names likely derived from the administrative divisions or prefectures that existed during ancient times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chow
Among Census respondents with the surname Chow, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chow bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Chow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.5% · 14,706
- Two or more races5.9% · 1,010
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 746
- White3.6% · 626
- Black or African American0.6% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chow
Chow appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,059
+1,409 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Up 2 places
2020
#2,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,205
+146 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 5.76
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,124 | 15,650 | 5.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,122 | 17,059 | 5.78 | +1,409 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 2 places |
| 2020 | #2,052 | 17,205 | 5.76 | +146 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 70 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Chow surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,122 | #2,052 | 3.3% |
| Count | 17,059 | 17,205 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.78 | 5.76 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chow bearers went from 17,059 to 17,205 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,122 to #2,052.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chow
FAQ
Chow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chow?
Name Census estimates that about 19,729 living Americans carry the surname Chow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,373 residents.
How common is Chow?
Chow ranks #2,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,205 people with the surname Chow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Chow.
Has Chow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chow went from 17,059 recorded bearers to 17,205. That is an increase of 146 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,122 to #2,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Chow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chow, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (14,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.5%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Chow (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Chow mean?
A Chinese occupational surname referring to a chef, cook, or someone who works with food. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Chow (5.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Chow?
Want to know how many people have the last name Chow? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.