How common is the surname Tong?

13,196 people in the United States had the surname Tong in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 23,397 Americans. It ranked 2,730th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Tong?

Kam Tong, American actor (1906-1969), followed by Empress Xiaoyiren.

Where is the surname Tong most common?

Wikidata records people named Tong in the United States and Qing dynasty.

Is the surname Tong getting more or less common?

More common. 10,809 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,196 in 2010, up 22%.

Is Tong also a first name?

Yes. Tong is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Tong

A Chinese surname, carried by 13,196 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex T520

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Tong is more common than 98.3% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

For the surname: Borrowed from Cantonese 湯／汤 (tong1), Cantonese 唐 (tong4), Mandarin 佟 (Tóng), Mandarin 童 (Tóng), etc.

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 13,196 people named Tong in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 23,397 Americans. That is up 22% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,809.

#2,730

rank among US surnames

13,196

people in 2010

4.5

per 100,000 Americans

+22.1%

change since 2000 (was #3,074)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,721	Kwon	13,235	23,328
#2,722	Byler	13,230	23,337
#2,723	Herrmann	13,226	23,344
#2,724	Yoo	13,225	23,346
#2,725	Vitale	13,220	23,354
#2,726	Loera	13,218	23,358
#2,727	Parson	13,209	23,374

Who is named Tong

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

81% of people named Tong identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 12% as white (not Hispanic) and 3.4% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 81%
White (not Hispanic) 12%
Two or more races 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
Black (not Hispanic) 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Tongs

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Kam Tong
American actor (1906-1969)
Empress Xiaoyiren
3rd empress of Kangxi Emperor, Qing Dynasty, title changed from Empress Xiaoyi during the , 1601–1689

Notable Tongs come mostly from the United States (1) and Qing dynasty (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Tong

Tong has the Soundex code T520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T520.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Tong come from?: For the surname: Borrowed from Cantonese 湯／汤 (tong1), Cantonese 唐 (tong4), Mandarin 佟 (Tóng), Mandarin 童 (Tóng), etc.
How common is the surname Tong?: 13,196 people in the United States had the surname Tong in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 23,397 Americans. It ranked 2,730th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Tong?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Tong identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 12% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Tong?: Kam Tong, American actor (1906-1969), followed by Empress Xiaoyiren.
Where is the surname Tong most common?: Wikidata records people named Tong in the United States and Qing dynasty.
Is the surname Tong getting more or less common?: More common. 10,809 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,196 in 2010, up 22%.
Is Tong also a first name?: Yes. Tong is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.