2000
#3,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Uncommon Last name
Jiang
A Chinese surname meaning "river," "brook," or "stream," indicating a family's historical proximity to a waterway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,803 Americans carry the last name Jiang. That puts it at #1,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,833 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jiang 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 Jiang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,833
Census rank
#1,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,838 bearers of the surname Jiang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jiang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jiang
The surname Jiang is of Chinese origin, tracing its roots back to ancient times. It is a monosyllabic surname, derived from the Chinese character "姜" (jiāng), which was originally a clan name during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC). The character itself is composed of the radical "女" (nǚ), meaning "woman," and the phonetic component "京" (jīng), suggesting a connection to the capital city or a metropolitan area.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Jiang dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (772–476 BC), when it appeared in historical texts such as the "Zuo Zhuan" and the "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian. These ancient records mention prominent figures bearing the Jiang surname, including Jiang Shang, a minister of the State of Jin, and Jiang Ziya, a legendary military strategist who served King Wen of Zhou.
During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the Jiang surname gained further prominence with the rise of influential families and individuals. One notable example is Jiang Zongxuan (683–727), a renowned poet and calligrapher who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Additionally, the Jiang clan played a significant role in the establishment of the Jiang-Nan region, which encompasses parts of modern-day Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.
In the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the Jiang surname continued to be associated with prominent scholars and officials. Jiang Shunfu (1024–1094) was a renowned philosopher and writer who made significant contributions to Neo-Confucianism. Another notable figure was Jiang Wen (1339–1384), a military general and strategist who served under the Ming Dynasty's founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang.
The Jiang surname has also been carried by notable figures in more recent history. Jiang Zemin (born 1926), a former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China from 1993 to 2003, is perhaps one of the most well-known individuals with this surname. Other notable Jiangs include Jiang Qing (1914–1991), the last wife of Mao Zedong and a prominent figure during the Cultural Revolution, and Jiang Liangquan (1604–1691), a renowned landscape painter of the Ming Dynasty.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jiang
Among Census respondents with the surname Jiang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jiang 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 Jiang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.8% · 32,745
- White1.9% · 628
- Two or more races0.5% · 185
- Black or African American0.5% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jiang
Jiang 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
#1,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,409
+10,827 bearers (+126.2%)
Per 100,000 6.58
Rank movement Up 1,942 places
2020
#1,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,838
+14,429 bearers (+74.3%)
Per 100,000 11.32
Rank movement Up 835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,791 | 8,582 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,849 | 19,409 | 6.58 | +10,827 bearers (+126.2%) | Up 1,942 places |
| 2020 | #1,014 | 33,838 | 11.32 | +14,429 bearers (+74.3%) | Up 835 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 Jiang 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 | #1,849 | #1,014 | 45.2% |
| Count | 19,409 | 33,838 | 74.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.58 | 11.32 | 72.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jiang bearers went from 19,409 to 33,838 (+74.3% change). The surname moved up 835 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,849 to #1,014.
FAQ
Jiang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jiang?
Name Census estimates that about 38,803 living Americans carry the surname Jiang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,833 residents.
How common is Jiang?
Jiang ranks #1,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,838 people with the surname Jiang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,803), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Jiang.
Has Jiang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jiang went from 19,409 recorded bearers to 33,838. That is an increase of 14,429 (+74.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,849 to #1,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Jiang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jiang, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Jiang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (32,745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jiang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.8%), White (1.9%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Jiang (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 Jiang mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "river," "brook," or "stream," indicating a family's historical proximity to a waterway. 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 Jiang (11.32 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 Jiang?
Find out how many people have the last name Jiang on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.