Dang
A surname that is often a modern spelling found in several languages, including Chinese and some South Asian traditions, rather than a single classic English-origin name.
The #1,155 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,160 Americans shares it.
Etymology
As a surname, Dang does not have one universally agreed English etymology. In many families it is a romanization of surnames from Chinese or South Asian languages, depending on ancestry and local spelling practice. The English word dang, used as a mild oath or interjection, is unrelated as a surname source and does not by itself explain family-name origin.
History
In the historical excerpts provided, the word appears mostly as an exclamation or as part of Scottish literary phrases, not as a clear surname explanation. Modern use of Dang as a family name is therefore best understood as coming from multiple non-English naming traditions, especially in immigrant records where spellings were standardized in different ways. Because the same spelling can represent different original names, family histories may diverge sharply by region and language.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling Dang can map to very different original surnames in different countries, so two people with the same English spelling may not be related at all.
From the historical record
“*Why should thy sweete love*Iocke hang dang^tn^downe, Kissing thy girale«tnd with falling pride?' The Affectionate Shepheard, 1594. John Lovdok. J.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)