How common is the surname Wong?

111,371 people in the United States had the surname Wong in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,772 Americans. It ranked 274th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Wong?

Benedict Wong, British actor, followed by BD Wong.

Where is the surname Wong most common?

Wikidata records people named Wong in the United States, Malaysia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.

Is the surname Wong getting more or less common?

More common. 99,392 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 111,371 in 2010, up 12%.

The surname Wong

A Chinese surname, carried by 111,371 people in the United States.

Pronounced /wɔŋ/ 1 syllable Soundex W520

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Wong is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

From Cantonese, from Chinese: * 王 (wong⁴, “king”). Doublet of Vuong and Wang. * 黃／黄 (wong⁴, “yellow”). Doublet of Huynh and Huang. * 汪 (wong¹).

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 111,371 people named Wong in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,772 Americans. That is up 12% since 2000, when the Census counted 99,392.

#274

rank among US surnames

111,371

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+12.1%

change since 2000 (was #277)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#265	Jensen	115,679	2,669
#266	Harvey	115,662	2,669
#267	Williamson	114,959	2,686
#268	Gilbert	114,940	2,686
#269	Dean	114,030	2,708
#270	Sims	113,374	2,723
#271	Espinoza	112,154	2,753

Who is named Wong

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

86% of people named Wong identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 5.2% as two or more races and 4.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Asian and Pacific Islander 86%
Two or more races 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.0%
White (not Hispanic) 3.5%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.0%

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

Famous Wongs

18 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Benedict Wong
British actor, born 1971
BD Wong
American actor, born 1960
Ali Wong
American comedian and actress (born 1982)
Russell Wong
American actor (born 1963)
Penny Wong
Australian politician, born 1968
Flossie Wong-Staal
American virologist, 1946–2020
Alice Wong
American disability activist (1974–2025)
Jimmy Wong
American actor and singer, born 1986
Freddie Wong
American filmmaker, born 1985
Wong Choong Hann
Badminton player, born 1977
Leanne Wong
American artistic gymnast, born 2003
Linda Wong
American pornographic actress (1951-1987)

Notable Wongs come mostly from the United States (14), Malaysia (2) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Wong

Wong has the Soundex code W520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W520.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Wong come from?: From Cantonese, from Chinese: * 王 (wong⁴, “king”). Doublet of Vuong and Wang. * 黃／黄 (wong⁴, “yellow”). Doublet of Huynh and Huang. * 汪 (wong¹).
How common is the surname Wong?: 111,371 people in the United States had the surname Wong in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,772 Americans. It ranked 274th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Wong?: In the 2010 Census, 86% of people named Wong identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 5.2% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Wong?: Benedict Wong, British actor, followed by BD Wong.
Where is the surname Wong most common?: Wikidata records people named Wong in the United States, Malaysia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Wong?: Wong is /wɔŋ/, one syllable.
Is the surname Wong getting more or less common?: More common. 99,392 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 111,371 in 2010, up 12%.