How Common Is the Last Name Leung?

An estimated 23,681 people in the United States share the surname Leung. That's about 1 in 14,474 Americans. This data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau surname frequency tables.

This page covers the Leung surname's frequency in the U.S. population, its rank among all American surnames, and a breakdown of ancestry and ethnicity data from the Census. You can also check how many people share any first + last name combination involving Leung.

Estimated Americans with this Surname

23,681

About 1 in 14,474 people in the U.S.

Census Rank

#1,702

Uncommon 6.91 per 100K

Frequency Rate

6.91

per 100,000 people

Census Count

20,651

2020 Census

Data Source

2020

U.S. Census Bureau

Ancestry and Ethnicity for Leung

The Leung surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander (92.47%). The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.18%) and White (2.28%).

Self-reported race and ethnicity from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables. Some categories may be suppressed for privacy when sample sizes are small.

White
2.28%
Black
0.67%
Hispanic
1.38%
Asian/Pacific Islander
92.47%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.03%
Two or More Races
3.18%

Historical Census Data for Leung

Leung appears in 3 published Census surname releases on this site (2000, 2010, 2020). From 2000 to 2020, the raw count became more common and the per-100,000 rate became more common. Its best published rank was #1,702 in 2020.

Between the 2010 and 2020 census releases, more people were recorded with the surname Leung, but it became a smaller share of the U.S. population overall. In other words, the raw count went up, while the frequency per 100,000 went down.

The line to watch most closely is per 100,000 people. That adjusts for overall population growth, so it shows whether Leung became a bigger or smaller share of the country, not just whether the raw count went up.

Census Count Over Time

Raw Census count in each published surname release.

18,140 to 20,651

18,140 20,496 20,651 2000 2010 2020

Per 100,000 Over Time

Population-adjusted frequency, which is usually the cleaner trend line.

6.72 to 6.95

6.72 6.95 6.91 2000 2010 2020

Release-by-release summary

Each row is a published Census surname table for Leung. The change column compares each release to the one before it.

Year Rank Count Per 100K Change vs prior release Largest recorded group
2000
#1,815 18,140 6.72 Baseline release Asian/Pacific Islander (94.90%)
2010
#1,747 20,496 6.95
Count 12.20%
Rate 3.37%
Asian/Pacific Islander (94.34%)
2020 Latest
#1,702 20,651 6.91
Count 0.75%
Rate -0.59%
Asian/Pacific Islander (92.47%)

If the raw count rose but the per-100,000 number fell, the surname still became less common relative to the size of the U.S. population. That is why the frequency rate usually tells the clearer story.

Recorded ancestry change

These percentages show how the Census profile for this surname shifted across the published surveys on this site.

Ancestry 202020102000 Change Since 2000
White 2.28%1.82%2.03% 11.63%
Black 0.67%N/A0.48% 32.79%
Asian and Pacific Islander 92.47%94.34%94.90% -2.60%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.03%N/A0.03% -3.20%
Two or More Races 3.18%2.21%2.01% 45.13%
Hispanic 1.38%1.02%0.56% 84.25%

These percentages come from self-reported Census data. They describe how the recorded makeup of people using the surname Leung changed from 2000 through 2020, not the deeper family origin of every bearer of the name.

First Name + Leung Combinations

How many people share a full name with Leung as the last name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Leung Surname: Questions and Answers

How common is the last name Leung?

Leung is the #1,702 most common surname in the United States, with an estimated 23,681 people sharing this last name. It appears at a rate of 6.91 per 100,000 Americans.

Has the surname Leung become more or less common over time?

In the published Census surname tables on this site, Leung moved from 18,140 people in 2000 to 20,651 in 2020. The more important line is the population-adjusted rate, which changed from 6.72 to 6.91 per 100,000.

Why can the raw count go up while the rate per 100,000 goes down?

Because the total U.S. population can grow faster than the surname itself. A surname can have more people in absolute numbers but still make up a smaller share of the country, which is why the per-100,000 figure often tells the clearer story.

What does the ancestry change table show for Leung?

It compares the published Census demographic mix for Leung across releases on this page. That helps you see whether the recorded share of the surname shifted between groups over time, but it still does not tell the full family history of every person with the name.

What does 6.91 per 100,000 mean?

It means that if you picked 100,000 people in the United States at random, about 6.91 of them would have the surname Leung. This is usually the clearest way to compare surnames because it adjusts for the size of the total population.

What ethnicity is the surname Leung?

The Leung surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander (92.47%). The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.18%) and White (2.28%). This data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables, which include self-reported race and ethnicity breakdowns.

Does the ancestry table tell the exact family origin of everyone named Leung?

No. It shows how people with the surname Leung identified in the Census. That is useful context, but it does not prove the deeper family history, nationality, or origin story of every person with the name.

How many people named [First Name] Leung are there?

We can estimate any first + last name combination. Popular examples: Michael Leung, James Leung, John Leung. Search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this surname data come from?

Surname frequency data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau decennial surname tables. These list every surname appearing in the Census along with frequency rates and demographic breakdowns. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination