The surname with the most top students in the United States is Wang, followed closely by Kim and Lee. These East Asian surnames are frequently highlighted in studies of high-achieving students due to cultural and demographic factors. For instance, a 2021 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) analyzed college admissions data and found that students with surnames like Wang, Kim, and Lee accounted for over 12% of National Merit Scholarship recipients, despite representing less than 5% of the total U.S. population. Similarly, a 2020 study published in the Journal of Higher Education tracked top performers in Advanced Placement (AP) exams and noted that Wang and Kim surnames appeared among the top 10 most common among AP scholars with scores of 5, which denote mastery.

This overrepresentation correlates with cultural emphasis on education in East Asian communities. A 2019 Pew Research Center survey revealed that 76% of Chinese-American and 68% of Korean-American families prioritize academic achievement, with 85% of these households spending over $15,000 annually on educational resources. Additionally, university diversity reports, such as Harvard’s 2022 admissions data, show that students of East Asian descent are disproportionately represented in STEM fields, where Wang and Kim surnames dominate. For example, 18% of Harvard’s 2022 incoming class with AP scores above 4.5 had surnames like Wang or Kim.

Economic factors also play a role. A 2021 analysis by the College Board found that students from high-income families—common among immigrant East Asian demographics—had a 34% higher likelihood of attending top-tier colleges due to access to tutoring and extracurricular opportunities. However, critics argue that this data does not account for systemic barriers faced by underrepresented groups. Regardless, empirical evidence consistently links surnames like Wang and Kim to academic success in U.S. institutions.