2000
#9,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Mong
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Mong during the Zhou dynasty, also meaning "busy" or "rushed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,215 Americans carry the last name Mong. That puts it at #14,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,742 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mong 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,742
Census rank
#14,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,932 bearers of the surname Mong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mong, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mong
The surname "MONG" has its origins in the Gaelic language and is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Gaelic word "mòng," which means "hair" or "mane." This suggests that the name may have been originally used as a descriptive nickname for someone with distinctive hair or a thick mane of hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "MONG" can be found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a collection of historical records from the 14th century. The book mentions a "John Mong" who was a tenant farmer in the region of Breadalbane, Perthshire, Scotland, during that time period.
Another notable historical reference to the name "MONG" comes from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which are financial records dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. These rolls mention several individuals with the surname "MONG," indicating that the name was well-established in Scotland by that time.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Robert MONG (born around 1520) was a Scottish clergyman and scholar who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow from 1577 until his death in 1585.
During the 17th century, the surname "MONG" appeared in various records throughout Scotland, including the Monro Genealogies, which document the history of the Clan Monro. One notable individual from this time period was David MONG (1635-1715), a Scottish merchant and landowner who owned properties in the county of Fife.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the surname "MONG" was Sir James MONG (1720-1789), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Inverness-shire from 1768 to 1784.
Another significant figure with the surname "MONG" was William MONG (1819-1892), a Scottish-born engineer and inventor who is credited with developing the first commercially successful electric motor. He was born in Greenock, Scotland, and later emigrated to the United States, where he made his contributions to the field of electrical engineering.
The surname "MONG" has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Mongewell, which is a village in Oxfordshire, England. This place name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mong" (meaning "mane") and "well" (meaning "stream" or "spring"), suggesting a connection to the original meaning of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mong
Among Census respondents with the surname Mong, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mong 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 Mong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 1,265
- Asian and Pacific Islander24.8% · 480
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 80
- Two or more races3.5% · 68
- Black or African American1.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mong
Mong 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
#13,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,307
-816 bearers (-26.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 3,686 places
2020
#14,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,932
-375 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,550 | 3,123 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,236 | 2,307 | 0.78 | -816 bearers (-26.1%) | Down 3,686 places |
| 2020 | #14,757 | 1,932 | 0.65 | -375 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 1,521 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 Mong 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 | #13,236 | #14,757 | -11.5% |
| Count | 2,307 | 1,932 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.65 | -17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mong bearers went from 2,307 to 1,932 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 1,521 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,236 to #14,757.
FAQ
Mong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mong?
Name Census estimates that about 2,215 living Americans carry the surname Mong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,742 residents.
How common is Mong?
Mong ranks #14,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,932 people with the surname Mong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mong.
Has Mong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mong went from 2,307 recorded bearers to 1,932. That is a decrease of 375 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,236 to #14,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mong, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.8%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (1,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.8%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Mong (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 Mong mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Mong during the Zhou dynasty, also meaning "busy" or "rushed." 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 Mong (0.65 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 common is the surname Mong?
Find out how many people have the surname Mong on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.