An (Chinese name)

The surname An , literally means "peace" or "tranquility", also serves as an abbreviation of Anxi , meaning Parthia in ancient Chinese; Anxi is a transcription of "Arsaces", the founder of the Arsacid Dynasty of Iranian Parthia. Most Parthian visitors to China took the name An to indicate their origin.

People with the name An

* An Shih Kao, the first Buddhist missionary to China
* An Hsuan, who followed An Shih Kao to Luoyang several decades later
* An Lushan, a provincial military governor during the Tang dynasty
* An Yangfeng, a Chinese Woman International Master-titled chess player
* An GuoJun, an Oracle Bone Script Calligraphy Scholar from Henan, China living in Taiwan
* An YiQiong, an master in the University of Bristol from China, was one among the first 46 Chinese students participating in the China/UK internship programme sponsored by UK and China governments

Aisin Gioro

Aisin Gioro was the clan name of the Manchu of the Qing dynasty . The word ''aisin'' means ''gold'' in the Manchu language, and "gioro" means clan in the Manchu language.

It is notable that the of the Jurchens, ancestors of the Manchus, was known as ''aisin gurun'', and that the Qing dynasty was initially named ''amaga aisin gurun,'' or Later Jin dynasty. It has been suggested that Nurhaci, the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, added ''aisin'' to his original clan name of ''gioro'', perhaps at the same time he proclaimed his new dynasty in 1616, but there is no definitive evidence to support this proposition. Since the fall of the Empire, a number of members of the family have changed their surnames to ''Jin'' after the former dynasty. For example, Puyi's younger brother changed his name from Aixinjueluo Puren to Jin Youzhi and his children in turn are surnamed Jin. Clan members of the direct imperial succession line were able to change their surname to ''Long'' meaning "dragon" in Chinese,

Family naming code

Before founding the Qing Dynasty, naming of children in the Aisin Gioro clan was done quite randomly. After taking control of China, however, the family gradually incorporated Han Chinese ways of . During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, all of Kangxi's sons were to be named with a preceding the given name. There were three characters chosen, Cheng , Bao , and Chang , before finally deciding on Yin in Kangxi-20. The Yongzheng Emperor's sons switched from Fu to Hong . Following Yongzheng, the Qianlong Emperor decided that all subsequent male offspring will have a generation code placed in their name according to a Generation Poem, of which Qianlong composed the first four characters, 永綿奕載. Moreover, the names of brothers will often contain a similar or meaning. Sometimes, an emperor will change the generation code of his brothers as a way of keeping his own unique .



Subsequent: Qi 启, Dao 焘, Kai 闿, Zeng 增, Qi 祺

Foundation myth

The ''Veritable Records'' and other documents contain the foundation of the Aisin Gioro clan:

:There was a lake called Bulhūri at the foot of Bukūri Mountain, located to the east of the Changbai Mountains . When three angels bathed in that lake, a magpie left a fruit on the youngest angel Fekulen's clothes. She ate the fruit and became pregnant. She mothered Bukūri Yong?on, the founder of Aisin Gioro. He was later welcomed by the people as the Beile. He settled at Odoli Castle on the Omohoi Plain and became the founder of the Manchu State.

This myth has interested many historians. Similar stories can be found in other northern people's mythology. Yong?on seems to have come from Chinese yingxiong and Odoli would be modern-day Hoeryong in North Hamgyong Province , North Korea. A recent study found that a 1635 article of ''Jiu Manzhou Dang'' , which was omitted from later documents, says that a man from the Hūrha tribe on the Upper Amur River told the exactly same myth. In fact, period maps shows Bukūri Mountain and Bulhūri Lake near Heilongjiang. It is considered that the Manchu imperial family incorporated Hūrha's legend into their own foundation myth.

Although the Changbai/Paekdu Mountains are regarded as the birthplace of the Aisin Gioro clan, their relationship with this legend is questionable. As explained above, the mythical arena was near Heilongjiang, not the Changbai Mountains. In addition, a careful analysis on early Manchu records proved that the description of the Changbai Mountains at the beginning of this legend had been inserted for the first time in the -era version of the ''Veritable Records for Nurhaci''.

From Fanca to Ningguta Beise

Suffering from tyranny, the people raided Odoli and killed all Bukūri Yong?on's descendants but Fanca. A magpie saved Fanca's life. Fanca's descendant Mengtemu went eastward to execute his ancestors' revenge in Hetu Ala and settled there. Mengtemu's sons were Cung?an and Cuyan. Cung?an's sons were Tolo, Toimo and Sibeoci Fiyanggū Sibeoci Fiyanggū's son was Fuman and Fuman's six sons were called Ningguta Beise , who lived around Hetu Ala.

Mengtemu is identified as M?ngke Temür , who left Odoli at the invitation of the Ming Dynasty and was appointed as leader of the . On the other hand, the founder of the Jianzhou Right Guard was M?ngke Temür's half-brother Fanca. It is unclear whether he may not the same person as Mentemu's ancestor, or it was just a mistake by the Manchus. The Jianzhou Left Guard fell into chaos in the early 16th century. In addition, Sibeoci Fiyanggū and Fuman seem to have been fictional because they did not appear in Chinese or Korean records. Maybe they were fabricated by the imperial family to claim its linkage to M?ngke Temür.

¹ Although Aisin Gioro is usually pronounced "Aixin Jueluo" in Mandarin, some argue that it should be "Aixin Jiaoluo" since the only pronunciation of the character 覺 corresponding to Manchu ''gio'' is ''jiao''.

Famous Aisin-Gioros

The Emperors

*Nurhaci, Tianming Khan, postumous Emperor
*Hung Taiji, Tiancong Khan, Chongde Emperor
*Fulin, the Shunzhi Emperor
*Xuanye, the Kangxi Emperor
*Yinzhen, the Yongzheng Emperor
*Hongli, the Qianlong Emperor
*Yongyan, the Jiaqing Emperor
*Minning, the Daoguang Emperor
*Yizhu, the Xianfeng Emperor
*Zaichun, the Tongzhi Emperor
*Zaitian, the Guangxu Emperor
*Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor

Iron-cap princes & their descendants

By Qing tradition, the sons of Princes do not automatically inherit their father's title, but rather will inherit a title one level lower. However, there were 12 princes during the Qing Dynasty who were named "iron-cap princes", meaning that their princely titles will be "passed on forever" through each succeeding generation.

*Dai?an, 1st Prince Li, second son of Nurhaci, seniormost Beile
**Yuetuo, Prince Kejin, Dai?an's eldest son
**Lokodhui, Prince Shuncheng, Dai?an's grandson
**Shiduo, descendant of Dai?an, active during reign of Empress Dowager Cixi
*Jirhalang, 1st Prince Zheng, 6th son of Nurhaci's brother Surhaci, regent during Shunzhi's reign.
**Duanhua, 7th Prince Zheng, regent to Tongzhi Emperor, ousted by Empress Dowager Cixi
**Sushun, 7th-generation descendant, brother of Duanhua, executed by Empress Dowager Cixi
**Jin Shaoxun, last Prince Zheng
*Laimbu, Prince Fu, 13th son of Nurhaci, ruler during Shunzhi's reign
*Dorgon, Prince Rui, 14th son of Nurhaci, regent, ''de facto'' ruler during Shunzhi's reign
*, Prince Yu, 15th son of Nurhaci
*Hooge, Prince Su, eldest son of Hung Taiji
**Shanqi, 10th Prince Su, prominent during Puyi restoration of 1919
*Shuosai, Prince Chengze, 5th son of Hung Taiji
**Yinlu, 16th son of the Kangxi Emperor, inherited the princely title and changed it to ''Prince Zhuang''
*Yinxiang, Prince Yi, 13th son of the Kangxi Emperor
**Zaiyuan, 6th Prince Yi, regent to Tongzhi Emperor, ousted by Empress Dowager Cixi
*Yixin, Prince Gong, 6th son of the Daoguang Emperor
**Puwei, grandson of Yixin, supported 's restoration
*Yixuan, Prince Chun, 7th son of the Daoguang Emperor
**Zaifeng, 2nd Prince Chun, son of Yixuan, last regent of Imperial China during the reign of his son Puyi
*Yikuang, Prince Qing, grandson of Qianlong Emperor's 17th son Yonglin
**Zaizhen, 2nd Prince Qing, early republican entrepreneur, infamous for corruption

Prominent political figures

*Ajige, Prince Ying, 12th son to Nurhaci
*Yinsi, 8th son to Kangxi, expelled form clan.
*Yinti, 14th son to Kangxi, general in Xinjiang, rumoured successor to the throne
*Hongzhou, Prince He, 5th son to Yongzheng Emperor
*Yonghuang, eldest son of the Qianlong Emperor
*Miankai, 3rd son of the Jiaqing Emperor
*Mianyu, 5th son of the Jiaqing Emperor
*Yicong, 5th son of the Daoguang Emperor
*Zaixun, 6th son of Yixuan, Minister of the Navy in Yikuang's cabinet
*Zaize, Mianyu's grandson, Chinese envoy to the United States and Europe, Minister of Finance in Yikuang's cabinet
*Pulun, grandson of Yiwei, Daoguang's eldest son, Minister of Industry and Agriculture in Yikuang's cabinet

Others

*Pujie, Zaifeng's 2nd son, later member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
*Jin Youzhi , Zaifeng's 4th son
*Pu Xuezhai, guqin player and Chinese painting artist

Present-day

*Bryna Aisin Gioro, socialite
*Hengzhen, son of Yuyan
*Yuyan, friend of Puyi and pretender to the throne of Imperial China
*, ninth generation descendant of the Yongzheng Emperor, eminent Chinese calligraphy artist.
*Jin Youzhi, Half-brother of Puyi and pretender to the throne of Manchukuo
*Jin Yuzhang, deputy Governor of Chaoyang District in Beijing.
*Yuhao, Chair of the Laos Economic Bureau.
*Zhao Junzhe, football player.

Fen (name)

Fen may be either a given name or family name. As a given name, it is represented in simplified Chinese as . As a family name, it is represented in simplified Chinese as .

Fen may also be a surname in countries other than China, such as Uzbekistan where it is represented in Cyrilic as .

Fen as a given name

* Yao Fen , Chinese badminton Olympic medal winner

''Fen'' is also a part of the names of several other notable people, including:

* Lin Yan Fen , Chinese badminton Olympic medal winner
* Min Xiao-Fen , Chinese-American musician

Fen as a family name or surname

* Fen Jie , Chinese badminton Olympic competitor
* Vitaly Fen , Uzbekistani ambassador to South Korea

Fei (surname)

Fei is a traditional Chinese surname. It is ranked 65th in the Hundred Family Surnames.

Prominent people

* Fei Yi, regent of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period
* Fei Junlong, commander of the second Chinese space flight
* Fei Hsiao-Tung, professor of sociology and anthropology

Fang (surname)

Fang is the 47th most prevalent Chinese surname. In Chinese, "方", means "square" or "four-sided".

Some more uncommon surnames that appear with the same pinyin are "房" and "芳". "房" means "house" or "building", and "芳" means "fragrant" or "smell of flowers" in Chinese.

Etymology

During Emperor Huang Di's reign, a called Yu Lei was awarded the land of Fang for his contributions in defeating a foreign tribe. He was thus known as Fang Lei, and his descendants were given the last name Fang.

Ji Yuan is considered as another forefather of the Fangs. Ji was a general of Zhou Xuan Wang, and was known for his contributions in conquering the north and the south. Since his nickname was Fang Shu, the king awarded him the last name of Fang.

Fang

*Fang Xuanling

Fong

* Fong Sai-Yuk, Chinese folk hero.
* Dennis Fong, an Internet entrepreneur and gamer, CEO of GX Media and co-founder of Xfire
* Alex Fong Lik-Sun, a professional swimmer-turned-actor and singer based in Hong Kong.
* Michael Peter Fong. First person to ride a Singaporean registered motorcycle around the world in aid of 'The Community Chest of Singapore'
* Edsel Ford Fong, a San Francisco waiter made famous by Herb Caen.
* Ben Fong-Torres, radio DJ and editor for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine

Fan (surname)

Fan is a Chinese family name.

Origin and branch

*The Fan trace their origin to the , a legendary Chinese ruler who lived from 2358 - 2258 BCE. Until the Zhou Dynasty 1122–256 BCE they are grouped with the clan. Legend has it that the Fan became an independent clan when a descendant of Du Bo was created Duke of Fan. His son took the name of Fan Quan or Fan Ziwen, and must have lived in the ancient state of in the beginning of the Spring and Autumn period.
*Later the Fan clan lived in the area situated in the southern part of present day Shanxi and western part of present day Henan. There is nowadays a Fan county in Puyang prefecture situated in the north east of Henan province.
*Some families of this name are derived from the Mǐ surname.
*From some ancient people in , Yunan
*From Jurchen 孛鲁术氏
*From Manchu

Notables

*Fan Li , advisor of
* , Chinese historian
*Fan Zhen , a Chinese philosopher of the Southern Dynasty
*Fan Yun , poet and friend of Emperor Wu of Liang
*Fan Zhongyan
*Fan Chengda

Modern Times
*Fan Bingbing , Chinese actress
*Fan Changjiang , Chinese journalist
*Fan Chun Yip , Hong Kong soccer player
*FanFan , Taiwanese singer
*Fann Wong , Singaporean actress
*Mavis Fan , Taiwanese singer

Du (surname)

Du is a . The name is spelled Tu in Taiwan.In Hong Kong it is translated as To, the pronunciation of 杜 in Cantonese

Origin and Branch

Du ancestors are known as the Tangdu. The Tangdu resided south east of Xian in Shaanxi province. The and Du clans share a common ancestor.

Notables

*Du Fu
*Du Yan
*Du Ruhui , nephew of Du Yan
*Du Mu a poet in the Tang dynasty
*Du Fuwei
*Tu Cheng-sheng, Taiwanese politician
*Johnnie To , a Hong Kong Director
*Chapman To , a Hong Kong Actor

Dong (surname)

Dong is a common Chinese family names.

Prominent people with the family name Dong 董

* Tung Chao Yung , Onassis of the Orient.
* Tung Chee Hwa , the first
* Dong Qiao , Chinese writer
* Dong Fangzhuo . Chinese striker.

Historic

*Dong Zhongshu a Han Dynasty scholar
*Dong Zhuo a warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China.
*Dong Yuan chinese painter
*Dong Qichang painter, scholar, calligrapher, and art theorist of the later period of the Ming Dynasty.
*Tung Ying-chieh tai chi teacher
*Dong Hu Ling tai chi teacher

Ding (surname)

Ding The earliest record of this surname in history was the duke of Ding during the Shang Dynasty.

2) Came from the last name of Jiang. The youngest son of Qi Tai Gong, Qi Ding Gong was a high-ranking judge during the reigns of Zhou Cheng Wang and Zhou Kang Wang. After his death, his descendents used his middle name as their last name to commemorate him.

3) During Chun Qiu period, the descendents of a judge called Song Ding Gong, also used Ding as their last name.

4) During the Three Kingdoms period, a general, Sun Kuang of the Wu kingdom, accidentally burnt the food supply and as a punishment, the king Sun Quan ordered this general to change his last name to Ding

Hometown: North west of Dingtao in the Shandong Province of eastern China.

http://www.yutopian.com/names/02/2ding46.html

Other variations

* Ting.
* ?inh, used in

Prominent people

*Diem Lien
*Ding Feng
*Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player
*Ding Lei
*Ding Ling
*Ding Wei
*Ding Yuan
* Ding Zilin, Professor, currently the leader of the political pressure group Tiananmen Mothers.
*Shayla , Vietnamese American singer
*Dinh Bo Linh , considered the first king in the history of Vietnam
*Viet D. Dinh , from 2001 to 2003
*Samuel C. C. Ting, Nobel Prize laureates in Physics, 1976.

Fictional character

* Ding Hai, the central character of The Greed of Man, played by Adam Cheng.

Deng (surname)

Deng or ??ng is an East Asian surname. It is a transcription of or . It is transliterated as ''Dèng'' in pinyin and Teng in Wade-Giles. In , it is ''Dahng'' in and ''Dang6'' in Jyutping. In Minnan or , it is ''Tēng'' in Pe?h-ōe-jī. The surname originating from the same Chinese character in is ''??ng'' and it is one of the top ten surnames in Vietnam. The name is transliterated as ''Deung'' in but is very rare in Korea. Deng is one of the surnames in ''Nanyang Tang'' .

In addition to spelling "Deng" used in mainland China, other common Chinese spelling variations include:
* Tang - Romanization based on spelling common in Hong Kong
* Teng - Romanization based on Wade-Giles transliteration of common spelling in Taiwan

This surname should not be confused with the surname Teng .

Notable persons with the surname Deng or its variants

*Deng Xiaoping, former Communist Party of China leader
**Deng Pufang, son of Deng Xiaoping
**Deng Nan, daughter of Deng Xiaoping
*??ng H?u Phúc, Vietnamese pianist and film score composer
*??ng Thái S?n, Vietnamese pianist
*??ng Thùy Tr?m, Vietnamese doctor famous for her wartime diaries
*Deng Ai, Wei general during the Three Kingdoms period
*Kent Deng, economic historian and writer
*Deng Ming-Dao, Taoist author
*Deng Shichang, Qing Dynasty admiral
*Deng Shiru , calligrapher and seal carver
*Deng Yingchao, wife of Zhou Enlai
*Deng Yaping, table tennis player
*Alan Kwong-wing Tang , actor and movie producer
*Tang Wing Cheung , birth name of Cantonese opera and film actor Sun Ma Sze Tsang
*H. T. Teng, Taiwanese ichthyologist
*Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer
*Si-an Deng, a Chinese-Canadian badminton player
*Wendi Deng, Chinese-American businesswoman and current wife of billionaire Rupert Murdoch

Dai

Dai can mean:

* Dai people, one of the 56 recognized ethnic minorities of China
* Dai , a traditional midwife in India, belonging to a lower caste
* Da'i refers to a person who engages in Dawah, the act of inviting people to Islam
* State of Dai was a Xianbei state during the Sixteen Kingdoms era of history of China
* Dai is also a morpheme for "big," appearing in a number of Japanese words and names
* Dai is the greeting and farewell used by the wizards in Diane Duane's Young Wizards series.
*Dai County, a county in Shanxi, China.

Acronyms

* The DAI Personal Computer, an early home computer from Belgium.
* the New York Stock Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange for automaker Daimler AG .
* Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference refers to changes in the Earth's climate system, resulting from human activity, which are considered to be dangerous to human communities and to ecosystems.
* code of Darjeeling airport in India
* De Administrando Imperio, a Byzantine historical compilation written by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos
* DAI , the traffic police branch of the Ukrainian militsiya.
* German Archaeological Institute, an archaeological institute operated by the German ministry of foreign affairs
* the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut
* Diffuse axonal injury, a type of traumatic brain injury
* , a port used in hearing aids and hearing instruments
* Distributed artificial intelligence, a subfield of artificial intelligence
* Do As Infinity, a Japanese band
* Doctor's Associates, Inc., a U.S.-based restaurant company which owns the Subway restaurant name.
* , an ARP Spoofing or ARP Poison/Routing protection method developed by Cisco.

Names

* Dai is the Welsh diminutive form of David or its Welsh equivalent Dafydd
* Dai is a Chinese surname.
* Dai Davies
* Dai Davies
* Dai Matsumoto, a Japanese voice actor
* Dai Nagao, Japanese composer, musician and producer
* Dai Satō, a Japanese screenwriter and musician

Cong (surname)

Cong or Tsung is a unique Chinese surname. A very uncommon surname for Chinese, however, has unique origins.

Definition

Cong is a Chinese word meaning clump, thicket, bush, and/or shrubbery. The word is also a measure word for flowers however has been informally used for a group of people or things.

The original meaning of the word was "Intelligent."

Background

Cong surname is the name of a relatively small population in Chinese and aboard. Not to be confused with other "congs" like the Vietnamese one. The surname is said to be from a group of people in the city of Wendeng in China's Shandong province. In Mongolia and other nations there are persons with the surname Cong.

Historical origins

The Congs are originally of Xiongnu origin. They trace their ancestry to King Xiutu of the Xiongnu. In 121 BC, Xiongnu King Hunxie killed King Xiutu when Xiutu refused to surrender to the Chinese with Hunxie. The fourteen-year-old Crown Prince was taken to China and raised as a stable hand. One day, when Emperor Wu of Han was inspecting the horses with his wives, all the servants were mesmerized by the royal entourage, except for Midi. Emperor Wu of Han took favor of the prince and granted him the Chinese surname , meaning gold, because the prince used to make sacrifices with golden statues as a part of the Xiongnu rituals.

Jin Midi and his descendants later rose to prominent positions in the Han court. However, due to dynastic changes, the descendants of Jin Midi were persecuted for their royalist ties to the Han Dynasty. The Jins escaped and after over forty years of wandering, they eventually arrived at Cong Hill in Buye, modern day Wendeng, Shandong Province, and changed their surname to Cong.

Rank

Cong is ranked as the 127th most popular Chinese surname. The population with the surname Cong tend to be more concentrated in the northern regions of China.

People with the last name Cong accounts for about 0.1% of Han population.

Sources

Most of the information for this article was found on the following sites:
*http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/4639296.html
*http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/4639296.html
*http://www.congshi.net/

Chuan (surname)

Chuan, Quan , Chuen is a rare Chinese family name.
The Chuan surname first appeared in Shaanxi Province using the homophone character Ȫ. However for unknown reasons, the family changed it to ȫ many centuries later.

Other variations

* Jeon, as used in

Sources

Google groups Singapore culture

Chu (surname)

Chu , also denoted Zhu in , is one of the most common surnames in China, with a population of over ten million. It was the “empire’s surname” during the Ming Dynasty.

Chu is now the 13th most common surname in China.

Another surname, is also spelt as Chu in the present-day Republic of China. A famous person named 璩 is the former journalist .

Origination and distribution

The Chus originated from within the region between Henan and Anhui provinces, also within Jiangsu province. During the Ming dynasty, some Chus moved to Taiwan, and some then migrated to south-eastern Asia, Europe and . Chu has been one of the most influential clan in southern China over the history.

People with the name 朱

Royalty

Later Liang Dyansty
* , founder of the Later Liang Dynasty, which ushered in the era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms; he reigned as the Taizu Emperor from 907 - 912
* Zhu Yougui, second emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty; he reigned from 912 - 913 having murdered his father
* Modi Emperor, third emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty; he reigned from 913 - 923 having deposed his brother Zhu Yougui for having killed their father, Zhu Quanzhong

Ming Dyansty
* Hongwu Emperor, key leader of the rebel movement which ousted the Yuan Dynasty; founder of the Ming Dynasty
* Jianwen Emperor, grandson of the Hongwu Emperor; second emperor of the Ming Dynasty reigned from 1399 - 1402; overthrown by his uncle the Yongle Emperor
* Yongle Emperor, fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor and third emperor of the Ming Dynasty; reigned from 1403 - 1424; he was responsible for expanding China's influence throughout Asia, East Africa and perhaps beyond through his fleet of treasure ships led by the admiral eunuch Zheng He; he founded the Forbidden City and the Ming Dynasty Tombs
* Hongxi Emperor, eldest son of the Yongle Emperor and fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned for one year, 1425
* Xuande Emperor, eldest son of the Hongxi Emperor and fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1426 - 1435
* Zhengtong Emperor, also known as the Tianshun Emperor; eldest son of the Xuande Emperor and sixth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned twice from 1436 - 14449 and from 1457 - 1464
* Jiangtai Emperor, second son of the Xuande Emperor and seventh emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1450 - 1457
* Chenghua Emperor, eldest son of the Zhengtong Emperor and eighth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1465 - 1487
* Hongzhi Emperor, third and eldest surviving son of the Chenghua Emperor and ninth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1488 - 1505
* Zhengde Emperor, eldest son of the Hongzhi Emperor and tenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1506 - 1521
* Jiajing Emperor, grandson of the Chenghua Emperor and eventh emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1522 - 1567
* Longqing Emperor, third son of the Jiajing Emperor and twelfth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1567 - 1572
* Wanli Emperor, third and eldest surviving son of the Longqing Emperor and thirteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1573 - 1620
* Taichang Emperor, eldest son of the Wanli Emperor and sixteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned only one year, 1620
* Tianqi Emperor, eldest son of the Taichang Emperor and seventeenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 16216 - 1627
* Chongzhen Emperor, fifth son of the Taichang Emperor and eighteenth/last emperor of the Ming Dynasty; he reigned from 1628 - 1644
* Zhu Quan, Prince of Ning, Seventeenth son of the Hongwu Emperor and younger half-brother to the Yongle Emperor; military commander, historian and playwright

Southern Ming Dynasty
* Hongguang Emperor, born Zhu Yousong, Prince of Fu; Ming pretender and emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty which resisted the Qing Dynasty
* Longwu Emperor, born Zhu Yujian, Prince of Tang; Ming pretender and emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty
* Yongli Emperor, born Zhu Youlang, Prince of Gui; Ming pretender and emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty
* Prince of Lu, born Zhu Yihai; a leader of the Southern Ming Dynasty
* Koxinga whose title literally means ''Lord with the Imperial Surname''; he was born Zheng Chenggong but given the right to bear the imperial surname, Zhu, by the Longwu Emperor, a pretender to the then collapsing Ming Dynasty, for his noteworthy loyalist efforts; Koxinga founded the short-lived Kingdom of Taiwan

Government, Politics and Military

* Hua Mulan, allegedly disguised herself as a man to take her elderly father's place in the army; asserted by Ming historians as of the Chu clan though this assertion may have been politically motivated; later Qing historians, however, claim she was of the Wei clan but again this could have been politically motivated
* Zhu Zhi, military general for the Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of China
* Zhu Ran, military general for the Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of China
* Zhu Zhixin, Revolutionary and comrade of Sun Yat-sen who named Zhixin High School after his dead comrade
* Zhu De, Founder of the Red Chinese Army, forerunner of the People's Liberation Army
* Zhu Jiahua, famous politician of the Republic of China
* Zhu Rongji, former PRC Premier
* David S.C. Chu, United States Under Secretary of Defense appointed by George W. Bush
* Jim Chu, Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department

Philosophy and Religion

* Zhu Xi, Song Dynasty scholar and proponent for Neo-Confucianism
* Zhu Qianzhi, Chinese intellectual and historian; influenced Mao Zedong

Arts

* Zhu Da, Renowned painter and calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty; agnatic descendant of Zhu Quan, Prince of Ning
* Zhu Ziqing, Renowned contemporary writer and poet

Science and Technology

* Zhu Shijie, one of the greatest Chinese mathematicians
* Steven Chu, one of three co-recipients of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Chu Ching-wu, renowned physicist; expert on superconductivity

Business

* David Chu, Taiwanese-American founder of Nautica, men's designer outerwear company

Sports and Entertainment

* Choo Hoey, Singaporean musician and conductor; formerly Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
* Ken Chu, JVKV member
* Julie Chu, U.S. Olympic Team hockey player
* Zhu Jianhua, P.R.C. Olympic high jumper

Chinese compound surname

A Chinese compound surname is a Chinese surname using more than one character. Many of these surnames derive from noble and official titles, professions, place names and other areas, to serve for a purpose. Some are originally non-Chinese, while others were created by joining two one-character family names. Only a few of these names survive in modern times. Many clans eventually took on a single-character surname for various reasons. A small minority of Koreans and Vietnamese also have compound surnames.

Compound surnames

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Chinese characters!!Meaning/Origin!!Non-Han origin!!Mandarin
!!
!!!!!!Notable
|-
|愛新覺羅 ||Gold||Manchurian||?ixīnjuéluó ||Oi3 San1 Gok3 Lo4||?i T?n Giác La||Ae Sin Gak Ra ||Emperors of Qing dynasty
|-
|阿史那||||Turkic?||?shǐnà||Aa3 Si2 Naa5||||A Sa Na ||Empress Ashina
|-
|百里|||Hundred ''''||||Bǎilǐ||Baak3 Lei5||Bách L?||Baek Ri || Baili Xi
|-
|孛兒只斤 |||||Mongol||Bó'érzhījīn ||But6 Ji4 Zi2 Gan1||B?t Nhi Ch? C?n||Pae A Ji Geun || Genghis Khan
|-
|淳于||A small contry in Chunqiu||||Chúnyú||Seon4 Jyu1||Thu?n Vu||Sun U ||Chunyu Qiong
|-
|澹臺 ||||||Tántái||Taam4 Toi4||?àm Thái||Dam Dae ||Tantai Mieming
|-
|第二||Second||||Dì'èr||Dai6 Ji6||?? Nh?||Je I ||
|-
|第五||Fifth||||Dìwǔ||Dai6 Ng5||?? Ng?||Je O ||Diwu Qi
|-
|東方 ||"East", descendants of Fuxi clan according to legend||||Dōngfāng||Dung1 Fong1||??ng Ph??ng||Dong Bang ||Dongfang Shuo
|-
|東閣 ||"Eastern Pavilion"||||Dōnggé||Dung1 Gok3||??ng Các||Dong Gak ||
|-
|東郭 ||"Eastern Wall"||||Dōngguō||Dung1 Gwok3||||Dong Gwak ||Mr Dongguo
|-
|東門 ||"East Gate", place of residence, from Zhou dynasty||||Dōngmén||Dung1 Mun4||??ng M?n ||Dong Mun ||
|-
|端木||||||Duānmù||Dyun1 Muk6||?oan M?c||Dan Mok ||Duanmu Ci
|-
|獨孤 ||||Xianbei||Dúgū||Duk6 Gu1||??c C?||Dok Go ||Empress Dugu Qieluo
|-
|公孫 ||"Dukes' descendants", an address of the noble descendants in the Spring and Autumn period||||||Gung1 Syun1||C?ng T?n||Gong Son ||Gongsun Zan Gongsun Long
|-
|公羊||A branch of Gongsun||||Gōngyáng||Gung1 Joeng4||C?ng D??ng||Gong Yang ||Gongyang Gao
|-
|公冶||A branch of , from courtesy name of Jiye of Lu in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty||||Gōngyě||Gung1 Je5||C?ng D?||Gong Ya ||Gongye Chang
|-
|公西||||||Gōngxī||Gung1 Sai1||C?ng T?y||Gong Seo ||
|-
|毌丘||A place name||||Guànqiū||Kwun3 Jau1||||Gwan Gu ||Guanqiu Jian
|-
|穀梁 or 穀粱 ||Sorghum grains ||||Gǔliáng||Guk1 Loeng4||C?c L??ng||Gok Ryang ||
|-
|賀蘭 ||||Xianbei||Hèlán||Ho6 Laan4||H? Lan||Ha Ran (??||Princess Dowager Helan
|-
|赫連 ||||Xiongnu ||Hèlián||Haak1 Lin4||Hách Liên||Hyeok Ryeon ||Helian Bobo
|-
|賀若 ||||Xianbei ||Hèruò||Ho6 Joek6||H? Nh??c||Ha Yak ||Heruo Bi
|-
|皇甫||A branch of , from 皇父, the courtesy name of Ji Chongshi of the Duchy of Song in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty||||Huángfǔ||Wong4 Pou2||Hoàng Ph?||Hwang Bo ||Huangfu Song
|-
|呼延||||Xianbei ||Hūyán||Fu1 Jin4||H? Diên||Ho Yeon ||
|-
|令狐||A place name||||||Ling6 Wu4||L?nh H?||Ryeong Ho ||Linghu Tao
|-
|甪里||A place name||||Lùlǐ||||||Rok Ri |||
|-
|閭丘 ||A place name||||Lǘqiū||Leoi4 Jau1||||Ryeo Gu|||Luqiu Luwei
|-
|万俟||||Xianbei ||Mòqí||||||Muk Gi ||Moqi Chounu
|-
|慕容||||Xianbei ||||Mou6 Jung4||M? Dung||Mo Yong ||Murong Huang
|-
|�

Cheng (surname)

Cheng can be a transcription of one of several Chinese surnames. Since the syllable ''Cheng'' represents different sounds in Hanyu pinyin and the Wade-Giles systems of Chinese romanization, some ambiguity will exist as to which sound is represented by the letters "Cheng" if the romanisation and tone is not known. Also within each system of romanisation, each syllable can represent one of several different characters, as with any Chinese syllable.

In the pinyin system of romanization , the most common surname romanized as ''Cheng'' is 程 and 成.

In names romanized in Wade-Giles , ''Cheng'' is most commonly a transcription of 鄭/郑 .

Further confusion arises because Wade-Giles often appears without the required apostrophes , and thus some Wade-Giles names which are properly romanized ''Ch'eng'' will appear as ''Cheng''.

Famous people named 鄭/郑:

*See Zheng

Famous people named 程:

*Cheng Pu, general during the Three Kingdoms
*Fran?ois Cheng, French writer, poet and calligrapher
*Ch'eng Mao-yün, composer
*Brian Ching, n born Chinese football player

Chen (surname)

Chén is one of the most common Chinese family names. It ranks at the 5th most popular surname in Mainland China and the most popular surname in Singapore and Taiwan. Chen is also the most common family name in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian , Hong Kong and Macau. It is usually romanised as Chan in , and sometimes as Chun. In , the name is pronounced Tan. In Hakka and Toisan, the name is spelt and pronounced as Chin. Some other Romanisations include Zen and Ding.

In Vietnam, this surname is written in Quoc Ngu as Tr?n, and is the second most popular Vietnamese surname, accounting for 11% of the population, after the surname Nguy?n .

Chen is also a Hebrew name used by Israelis. It is pronounced khen, and means grace or favour.

History

The initial surname Chen was from Gui , which was an ancient Chinese surname of of , who was one of the Three August Ones and Five Emperors. When King Wu of Zhou established the Zhou Dynasty, he gave the Land of Chen to the descendants to establish their own state. To show his respect for Emperor Shun, the new state, which was also named by Chen, was one of the Three Guest States of Zhou , which meant this nation was not the subordinate, but the guest of Zhou. However, the was occupied by after the 10th century BC. Since then, the people of this state began to use Chen as their surname.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties , Emperor Wu of Chen established the Chen Dynasty , the fourth and the last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty.

Other pronunciations

* Chen, used in
* Chan, used in Cantonese
* Chin, used in , and
* Chun or Jin, used in
* Son, used in Hainanese
* Tan , used in in Singapore, Min Nan , and Hainanese
* Tang, used in
* Ting or Ding, used in
* Tr?n, used in
* Zen, used in the Shanghainese

Prominent people

* Fala Chen, Hong Kong actress and model
* Agnes Chan, Hong Kong singer, also famous in Japan
* Anna Chan Chennault, first female reporter for the Central News Agency
* Eason Chan, Hong Kong actor and singer
* Frankie Chan, nephew of Brian Leung
* Jackie Chan, Hong Kong actor; his parents Charles and Lee-Lee Chan and son Jaycee Chan
* Jordan Chan, Hong Kong actor and singer
* , poker player
* Patrick Chan, Canadian figure skater
* Peter Chan, the only "Chan" listed on the Vietnam War Memoral. He served on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Oriskany.
* Priscilla Chan, Hong Kong singer
* Vincy Chan, Cantopop singer from Hong Kong
* Wing-tsit Chan, a Chinese scholar
* Yau Hwa Chan, US badminton player
* Peter P. Chen, a computer scientist, inventor of the Entity-Relationship Model
* Rulers of the Chen Dynasty
* Bruce Hwang Chen, Taiwanese-American director
* , Taiwanese singer
* Chen Duxiu, Communist Party of China founder
* Edison Chen, Canadian born Hong Kong singer
* H. T. Chen, American dancer and choreographer
* , Chinese badminton player
* Jiebing Chen, erhu player
* Chen Jingrun, mathematician
* , Chinese-American actress and film director
* Joyce Chen, Chinese-American chef and restaurateur
* Julie Chen, American television personality and news anchor
* Sara Baiyu Chen, Chinese-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
* Chen Kaige, Fifth Generation Chinese filmmaker
* , Hong Kong actress and singer
* Chen Kenichi, the only "Iron Chef " in the syndicated TV program ''Iron Chef''
* Chen Kenmin, father of the above and a prominent Chinese chef in Japan
* Chen Lu, Figure Ice Skater
* Robert Chen, violinist, Concertmaster of Chicago Symphony Orchestra
* Chen Shanshan, Chinese classical guitarist
* Chen Shi-zheng, Chinese opera performer
* Chen Shui-bian, first non-KMT President of the Republic of China
* Sisy Chen, Taiwanese politician
* Steve Chen, President and/or pride of Lansdowne
* Steve Chen, supercomputer designer
* Steve Chen , co-founder, YouTube
* , Singaporean actor
* Chen Tsyr-shiou, Chairman of Taiwan Province
* Tze-Chung Chen, Taiwanese professional golfer
* Chen Xiaoxu, the most famous Lin Daiyu actress
* , Communist Party of China military commander
* , composer
* , Chief executive of Taiwan Province
* Chen Yu, Chinese badminton player
* Chen Yuanyuan, concubine of Wu Sangui
* Chen Zhi, classical guitarist
* Shiing-Shen Chern, mathematician
* Arthur Chin, fighter ace
* Ming W. Chin, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court
* Chin Peng, Long-time leader of now disbanded Malayan Communist Party
* , aka Jimmy H. Woo, brought one of the Chinese martial arts, Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung, or Kung Fu from Taishan to America, as
* Tiffany Chin, figure skater
* Tan Kah Kee, prominent businessman, community leader, and philanthropist in colonial Singapore and China.
* Tony Tan Keng Yam, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence of Singapore
* Tan Tjeng Bok, Indonesian theatrical actor.
* Tan Meng Yoe, vocal resident of Subang Jaya and political blogger in Malaysia
* Tan Shu Yi, three time winner of most dramatic cinema audience, South East Asia region
* Chen Qingzhi, General of Emperor Wu of Liang, Northern and Southern Dynasty
*Michael Chan, Nintendo Graphics Designer
* Chen Lie San / Sandra Dewi, Indonesian Actress

Fictional characters with surname Chen

* Charlie Chan, a fictional detective
* is a fictional character in the science fiction Red Dwarf
* Chan Ho Nam, the fictitious Hong Kong boss in the Young and Dangerous series
* Chen Jia Luo, Leader of the Red Lotus Sect from Chinese novel, The Book and the Sword by Jinyong
* Simon Chen/Tan Peng Liang, a character in ''Ca Bau Kan'', a roman by Remy Sylado, an Indonesian writer.
* Detective Grace Chen, a central character in , played by Kelly Hu.
* Chen, the Holy Knight, a character in the Warcraft III custom map Dota.
* Chen Jin,Badminton Player Of China

Change of Xianbei names to Han names

The Change of Xianbei family names to Han names was part of a sinicization campaign to convert Xianbei family names into Han Chinese names. It was at its peak intensity under of the Northern Wei dynasty in 496.

Name correspondence

Below is a list of the Xianbei names that are known to have been changed into Han names:

* Tuoba -> Yuan
* Gegu -> Hu
* Pu -> Zhou
* Baba -> Zhangsun
* Daxi -> Xi
* Yilou -> Yi
* Qiudun -> Qiu
* Xiqihai -> Hai
* Yizhan -> Shusun
* Chekun -> Che
* Qiumuling -> Mu
* Buliugu -> Lu
* Helai -> He
* Dugu -> Liu
* Helou -> Lou
* Wuniuyu -> Yu
* Shilian -> Lian
* Pulan -> Pu
* Ruogan -> Gou
* Balielan -> Liang
* Bolue -> Su
* Ruokouyin -> Kou
* Chiluo -> Luo
* Pulouru -> Ru
* Hege -> Ge
* Shiben -> Feng
* Afugan -> A
* Kediyan -> Yan
* Aluhuan -> Lu
* Taluoba -> Luo
* Boxi -> Bo
* Wuwan -> Huan
* Suhe -> He
* Hugukouyin or Gukouyin -> Hou
* Yuhun -> Hun
* Pilou -> Lou
* Qilifa -> Bao
* Tufulu -> Lu
* Dieyun -> Yun
* Shiyun -> Shi
* Chili -> Li
* Fulü -> Fu
* Ruluo -> Ru
* Qifu -> Fu
* Kedan -> Dan
* Qiji -> Ji
* He'er -> Er
* Tuxi -> Gu
* Chulian -> Bi
* Heba -> He
* Chilü -> Lü
* Monalou -> Mo
* Xidoulu -> Suolu
* Molu -> Lu
* Budahan ->
* Moluzhen -> Lu
* Hudigan -> Hu
* Muyu -> Yu
* Gegan -> Gan
* Qifujin -> Fu
* Shilou -> Gao
* Qutu -> Qu
* Talu -> Ta
* Washilan -> Shi
* Jiepi -> Jie
* Qijin -> Qi
* Xubu -> Bu
* Qiulin -> Lin
* Damogan -> Ge
* Ermian -> Mian
* Gailou -> Gai
* Suli -> Li
* Yidoujuan -> Ming
* Chimen -> Men
* Suliujin -> Su
* Bibi -> Bi
* Tunan -> Shan
* Wuyin -> Fang
* Shuluogan -> Shu
* Yifu -> Yi
* Maojuan -> Mao
* Youlian -> Yun
* Gedouling -> Dou
* Houmochen -> Chen
* Kudi -> Di
* Tailuoji -> Ji
* Keba -> Ke
* Yuchi -> Yu
* Bulugen -> Bu
* Poduoluo -> Pan
* Chigan -> Xue
* Qinu -> Qi
* Nianchi -> Zhan
* Feilian -> Fei
* Qilian -> Qi
* Qujin -> Ai
* Kehou -> Gou
* Chilu -> Zhu
* Heji -> Huan
* Tulai -> Jiu
* Wapen -> Wen
* Dabo -> Bao
* Duguhun -> Du
* Helan -> He
* Yuyuanzhen -> Zhen
* Gexi -> Ji
* Yuele -> Yue
* Chinu -> Lang
* Kezhuhun -> Zhu
* Kuruguan -> Ku
* Wuluolan -> Lan
* Yinalou -> Lou
* Yufu -> Yu

Major Xianbei names that were not changed

Several major Xianbei clan names were apparently judged by Emperor Xiaowen to be sufficiently Han-like to not to be changed. These included:

* Tuyuhun
* Heruo
* Na
* Yu

Chang (surname)

Cháng is a Chinese surname. It was ranked the 87^th most common Chinese surname in 2006.

Cai (surname)

Cài is a Chinese surname that derives from the name of the ancient . It's regionally more common in 's Fujian Province and in countries settled by ethnic Chinese from that province than in China as a whole. The surname is the 34th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan, where it is usually romanized as Tsai, and the 8th most common in Singapore, where it is usually romanized as Chua.


The Cais are said to be the descendants of the 5th son of of the Zhou Dynasty , Ji Du. Ji Du was awarded the title of of the , and he was known as Cai Shudu . Together with Guan Shu and Huo Shu, they were known as the Three Guards. When King Wu died, his son was too young and his uncle, the Duke of Zhou, became regent. Seeing that the power of the Duke of Zhou was increasing, the Three Guards got jealous and rebelled against Zhou together with Wu Geng. The Duke of Zhou suppressed the rebellion, and Cai Shu was exiled. King Cheng reestablished Cai Shu’s son Wu as the Duke of Cai. Some 600 years later in the Warring States Period, the conquered Cai in 447 BC and was itself conquered by the which, in turn, formed the , China's first empire. With the spread of family names to all social classes in the new empire, many people of the former state of Cai began to bear it as a surname.

The Cais descendants have undertaken two major migrations. During the Huang Chao Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty , the Cai clan migrated to Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Another later migration occurred when Ming Dynasty loyalist Koxinga moved military officials surnamed Cai and their families to Taiwan in the 17th century. As a result, the surname is far more common in these areas and in areas settled by their descendants than in other parts of China.

Transliteration and romanization

Cai is written the same in both and Chinese characters.

In , the surname is as Cài in pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin, Ts'ai in Wade-Giles, and Tsay in Gwoyeu Romatzyh. In Minnan or , it is Chhoà in Pe?h-oē-jī. In , it is Coi3 in Jyutping and Choi in . . Koreans use Chinese-derived family names and in , Cai is ? in Hangul, Chae in , and Ch'ae in McCune-Reischauer. also use Chinese-derived family names and in , it is Thái or Sái. do not use Chinese family names but for Chinese in Japan who carry the name, it is さい in Hiragana and Sai in the .

Cai is as Cai in the People's Republic of China, Tsai in the Republic of China , and Choi or Choy in Hong Kong. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, the most common forms are Chua for and speakers, Chai for speakers, and Choi for speakers. In Indonesia it is usually romanized as Tjoa and in the Philippines it is Chua, Cua, or the form Tuason.

Other variations include Chye, Coi, Toy, and Tsoi.

In addition, some of the Cais who resided in the Philippines adopted Spanish names to avoid persecution by the Spanish rulers during the Philippines' from the early 16th to late 19th century. Examples of these are Mercado, which means "Market" in Spanish and was adopted by Domingo Lam-Co , and Rizal, which was adopted by Domingo Lam-Co's great-grandson, Francisco Mercado .

Prominent people surnamed Cai

* Cai Cheng, a Chinese politician
* Cai Chusheng, an early Chinese film director
* Cai E, a Chinese revolutionary and warlord in early 20th century
* Cai Fu, a a character in the Chinese literature classic the ''Water Margin''
* Cai Guo-Qiang, a Chinese contemporary artist and curator.
* , an American academic
* Cai He, an officer in the Three Kingdoms period, brother of Cai Zhong and cousin of Cai Mao
* Cai Jing, a Song Dynasty official and a character in the Chinese literature classic the ''Water Margin''
* , the wife of Three Kingdoms period naval officer Huang Zu
* Cai Lun, the inventor of paper in the Han Dynasty
* Cai Mao, a naval officer in the Three Kingdoms period who served under Liu Biao, cousin of Cai He and Cai Zhong
* Cai Qing, a a character in the Chinese literature classic the ''Water Margin''
* Cai Shangjun, a Chinese film director and screenwriter
* Cai Tingkai, a Chinese general during the Republican era
* Cai Wen, a Chinese academic
* Cai Wenji, a Han Dynasty poet and composer also known as Cai Yan, daughter of scholar Cai Yong
* Cai Xiang, a calligrapher, scholar, official and poet during the Song dynasty also known as Cai Zhonghui
* Cai Xitao, a Chinese botanist
* Cai Yong, a Han Dyansty scholar and father of Cai Wenji
* Cai Yuanpei, a chancellor of Peking University and first president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
* Cai Yun, a Chinese badminton player
* Cai Zhong, an officer in the Three Kingdoms period, brother of Cai He and cousin of Cai Mao
* Cai Zhuohua, a Chinese Christian preacher
* Chae Jung An , a Korean actress
* , a Hong Kong actress
* , a Hong Kong singer, member of the Twins duo
* Choi Chi-sum, a Hong Kong evangelist
* , a Macanese government minister
* , an English creative director and designer for shoemaker Jimmy Choo Ltd
* , an Australian actress, TV presenter, and Australia Day Ambassador
* , a North Borneo-born Singaporean World War II heroine
* , a novelist and a member of Order of Canada
* , an American Methodist bishop
* , a Filipino basketball coach
* , a United States-based Chinese Filipino academic and author
* , a Filipino model
* , a Chinese Filipino Fashion Model
* Chua Ek Kay, a Singaporean artist
* , a Canadian film director, actor, and writer
* , a Singaporean singer
* Chua Lam, a Singaporean-born Hong Kong columnist and movie producer
* , a bodybuilder from Singapore
* , a Filipino murder victim
* , a Singaporean bodybuilder
* Chua Phung Kim, a Singaporean weightlifter
* , a Singapore-born Asian television executive
* Chua Sock Koong, a Singaporean telecom executive
* Chua Jui Meng, a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician.
* Chua Soi Lek, a Malaysian health minister and prominent politician.
* , a Singaporean singer
* Tjoa Ing Hwie or Tjoa Jien Hwie, the birth name of Surya Wonowidjojo, founder of Gudang Garam
* Tjoa, Marga, the real name of Indonesian writer Marga T
* Tjoa To Hing, the birth name of Indonesian businessman Rachman Halim
* , an American actress and television host
* Tsai Chia-Hsin, a Taiwanese badminton player
* Tsai Chih-chieh, a Taiwanese footballer
* , a Taiwanese popular music singer
* Tsai Hui-kai, a Taiwanese footballer
* Tsai Ing-wen, a former Vice Premier of the Republic of China
* , an American academic
* , a Taiwanese popular music singer
* , an American chef and host of television cooking shows
* Tsai Ming-liang, a Taiwanese movie director
* Tsai Rong Tsang, a Taiwanese tea master
* Tsai Wan-lin, a Taiwanese billionaire and founder of Cathay Life Insurance Company
* , a Taiwanese singer whose real name is Tsai Min-you

Liu

Liu is a common Chinese family name. The transliteration ''Liu'' can represent several different surnames written in different Chinese characters:
* / , pinyin: Liú. A very common surname, as it was used by the ruling family of the Han Dynasty - a high point in the history of China.
* pinyin: Liǔ
* pinyin: Liú
* pinyin: Liù
* Cantonese pinyin: Liu 6

In , the name can either take the form "Li?u" , corresponding to 柳 in Chinese, or "L?u" , corresponding to 刘/劉 or 留 in Chinese. The family name 六 is "L?c" in Vietnamese.

In , 刘/劉 is ''Lau'', whilst ''Liu'' is a different surname, , pinyin: , .

Prominent people with the family name 刘 / 劉

Historical

*The Liu royals of the following dynasties:
** the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang - the Han Dynasty's founder,
** the Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of Han ,
** the Shu Kingdom in the Period of the Three Kingdoms,
** the Xiongnu Han Zhao and the Tiefu Xia kingdoms in the Period of the Sixteen Kingdoms,
** the of the ,
** the Later Han Dynasty and the Northern Han kingdom and the Southern Han kingdom of the Period of the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms
* Liu Ji, military strategist, statesman and prophet

Contemporary

* Kenny Lau, engineer
* Evelyn Lau, writer
* Sidney Lau, Hong Kong
* Lucy Liu, actress
* Andrew Liu, Notorious Australian-Hong Kong Student
* Rex Liu, classical bassoonist
* Billy Liu, scholar, multi-sport athlete, musician
* Will Liu, Taiwanese singer
* Yang Liu, classical violinist
* Liu Bocheng, PRC military commander
* , actor, choreographer and director
* Liu Dalin, sexologist
* , actor,singer
* Andrew Lau, filmmaker and actor
* Liu Boming
* Liu Fuzhi, PRC politician
* Liu Huan, singer
* Liu Huaqing, PRC politician
* Liu Hui, mathematician
* Liu Kang
* Liu Qi , Beijing Olympics organizer
* Liu Qi-Chao, jazz musician
* Liu Shaoqi, PRC politician
* Liu Shilan, a Woman Grandmaster in chess
* Liu Sola, singer, composer, and writer
* Liu Tianhua, composer and musician
* Liu Wenhui, warlord
* Liu Wenjing, one of the advisors of
* Liu Xiang, Olympic winner and World Record holder
* Liu Xiang
* Liu Xiaoqing, actress
* Liu Yifei, singer/actress
* Liu Ye, actor and singer.
* , Hong Kong actor and musician
* Lau Wan Kit, Hong Kong comic artist
* Liu Wenhui, warlord and PRC politician
* Liu Zhijun, PRC politician

Prominent people with family name 柳

*Liu Gongquan, a and
*Liu Zongyuan, a during Tang Dynasty
*Liu Bingnuan, a founding father of the Triads during the Qing Dynasty
*Liu Yizheng, modern historian

List of common Chinese surnames in Singapore

The following is a list of the most common Chinese surnames amongst the population in Singapore in the year 2000. Surnames are listed according to their romanised forms in different varieties of Spoken Chinese, hence similar surnames may be listed more than once despite representing the same Chinese character. For example, one single surname character, , is in and in , yet appears as two entries here. On the other hand, can refer to the characters , or depending on the variety of Chinese, but are listed as a single entry. As Statistics Singapore notes, "Anglicised surnames have acquired their own unique connotative identity.

Linghu

Linghu is a Chinese compound surname. During the Zhou Dynasty, a general, Wei Ke scored many victories for Zhou and was granted the city of Linghu. All his descendants took the compound surname Linghu.

A famous person with this surname is Linghu Chong, the protagonist in Louis Cha's ''wuxia'' novel ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer''.

Lin (surname)

Lin is a pinyin transcription of one of several Chinese surnames, with 林 being overwhelmingly the most common. The literal meaning of this surname is "forest" or "woods".

The majority of people with this surname are concentrated in the Fujian province of China and Taiwan. Among the overseas Chinese, the surname Lin may be more common than in China because many overseas Chinese have origins in Fujian. This is due to the migrating Fujian Chinese seeking their fortunes particularly in Southeast Asia. In Hong Kong and in Vietnam, the name most often takes the form "Lam". Lin is the 2^nd most common surname in Taiwan, with a population of 9% Taiwanese , only behind . In mainland China Lin is less common.

A Korean surname ? Im is the Korean equivalent of Lin. There are two clan branches of ?, the first being ??-? and second, ??-?.

The Vietnamese surname, L?m, was formerly written using the same Chinese character.

A rare Chinese surname which is also transcribed ''Lin'' is 藺 .

A Japanese common surname, Hayashi, is written with the same character 林, also meaning ''forest'', but is not necessarily related to the Chinese surname.

Myth or Historical Fact of Lin Surname?

A popular myth states that during the reign of Shang Zhou the last king of Shang dynasty had 3 of his uncles advising him and his administration. The king's uncles were Bi Gan , Qi Zi and Wei Zi. Together the 3 men were known as "The Three Kindhearted Men of Shang" in the kingdom.

Bi Gan was the son of Prince Ding, son of Emperor Shang and, thus, was King Zhou's uncle.

Unfortunately, Zhou was a cruel king and his 3 uncles could not persuade him to change his ways. He was a cruel king and the state's citizens suffered tremendously. Failing in their duty to advise the king, Wei Zi resigned. Qi Zi faked insanity and was relieved of his post. Only Bi Gan stayed on to continue advising the king to change his ways. This put him in danger of incurring the king's wrath. Bi Gan stayed at the palace for three days and nights to try to persuade the bloodthirsty and immoral king to mend his ways.

The stubborn king would not relent and had his uncle, Bi Gan, arrested for treason. Upon hearing this, his pregnant wife escaped into the forest to protect her unborn child from death. She knew, in time, the king would execute Bi Gan and his entire family. In the forest the baby was born. Alone with no one to help, she grabbed hold of two trees and gave birth to a baby boy whom she named Jian. When she reached the nearest town, she gave her child the surname Lin .

Before long, Shang Zhou was overthrown and killed by Zhou Wu Wang. Zhou Wu Wang knew about the courageous court adviser Bi Gan and sought his wife and child. When he found them, he honoured them in respect to Bi Gan. The mother and child were restored back into the royal family. The new king conferred the surname Lin on Bi Gan's son, because he was born in some woods.

According to historical records, people who carry the surname Lin are the descendents of Bi Gan, a loyal subject of King Zhou from the Shang Dynasty.

Famous people surnamed Lin

In Chinese tradition, the surname is always stated "before" the given name, though Chinese living in Western countries will often put their surname after their given name.

*Adrian Lam, coach
*Anthony Lam, firefighter
*, Hong Kong actor and singer
*Bun-Ching Lam, concert pianist and composer
*Carol Lam, ex-US Attorney
*Chet Lam, singer/songwriter
*Dale Lam, choreographer
*David Lam, Lieutenant Governor
*Derek Lam, fashion designer
*Eman Lam, musician
*George Lam , singer
*James Lam, author and consultant
*Karena Lam , actress
*Lam Bun, radio commentator
*Lam Kor-wan, serial killer
*Pat Lam, rugby player
* , Hong Kong actor and singer
*Richard Lam, lyricist
*,
* , Hong Kong Cantopop singer
*Sarah Lam, actress
*Stephen Lam, government official
*Tony Lam, politician
*, Cuban artist
*Yin-ling Lam, news broadcaster
*Liem Swie King, Indonesian badminton player
*, politician
*, World War II anti-Japanese Resistance fighter who was based in Singapore and
*, Malaysian-born Singaporean author
*Lim Chin Siong, Singaporean trade union leader and politician
*Lim Giong, Taiwanese musician and songwriter and actor
*, Singaporean record producer and composer
*Lin Biao, military and political leader
*, Taiwanese-American violinist
*Lin Daiyu,a major character in the Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber
*Lin Dan, a men's singles badminton player, People's Republic of China
*Lin Di, pipa player with Cold Fairyland
*Lin Jun Jie, Singaporean singer and songwriter
*Lin Miao-ke, the child who sang during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony.
*Brigitte Lin, Taiwanese actor
*, artist and architect
*Moses Lim, TV and movie actor , food gourmet and entrepreneur from Singapore
*Lin Sang, People's Republic of China athlete
*Lin Sen, Republic of China leader
*, Shanghai born pipa player
* , Taiwanese actress
* , Taiwanese actress
*Lin Youren Chinese guqin player
*Lin Yang-kang, politician
*Lin Yutang, Chinese writer
*Lin Zexu, 19th century official and diplomat
*Sudono Salim , Indonesian tycoon
*Lin Chi-ling, Taiwanese Model
*Karena Lam, Hong Kong based award-winning actress
*Lim Goh Tong, Malaysian tycoon
*Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian politician, known as Mr. Opposition
*Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian politician, current Chief Minister of Penang
*Lim Chong Eu, retired Malaysian politician
*Nora Lam, Chinese Christian Ministry and the author of "China Cry"
*Lin Hwai-min, choreographer and founder of Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theater
*Lin Yu-fang, a Taiwanese politician

Fictional:

*Lin Chong, character in the novel "The Water Margin" .

Liang (surname)

Liang is a surname common in Taiwan and . Meaning "a beam", "a bridge", or "an elevation", the surname is often transliterated as Leung or Leong , Neo / Nio / Niu . It is also common in Korea, where it is pronounced Yang. In Vietnamese, it is known as .

It ranks 20th of the top 100 in Wikipedia's List of common Chinese surnames as of 2006.

History

The Liang family name has been in existence for approximately 2600 years. The first Liang was Liang Kang Hou who was the ruler of the State of , in what is now Gansu Province in the northwestern part of China. The State of Liang existed during the Zhou Dynasty of 1027 BC to 221 BC. The descendants of Liang Kang Hou retained the name Liang as their surname in memory of the Liang state when it was annexed by the neighboring State of Qin in 641 BC.

During the Eastern Han period, a time when the Han Dynasty was in chaos and decline, a power struggle ensued between three rival groups, the powerful eunuchs, the cliques of officials and the families of which the Liang was one. This was largely due to the fact that starting in , minors were placed on the throne and hence effective control of the Dynasty was in the hands of Regents. There were three successive empresses starting with Liang Na, Liang Ji and Liang Mengnu.

According to Witold Rodzinski's The Walled Kingdom , "the Liang family, by providing three empresses, became the effective ruler of the country by the middle of the second century, and its members accumulated a vast number of key posts. However, its rivals, the eunuchs, were able, due to their influence on the new emperor, to bring about its downfall, and the whole Liang clan was reduced in 159AD."

In 159AD a eunuch gang in the service of Emperor Huan of Han slaughtered relatives of the Empress Dowager Liang, effectively bringing an end to the Imperial aspirations of the Liang family.

Trivia

The Liang family has a star bearing the surname. In the , within the Eastern quadrant of the sky, on the "Youyuan " constellation of the "Heavenly Market Enclosure" group is a star called Liang. This star in the western star-chart corresponds to the star Yed Prior of the Ophiuchus constellation. Its coordinates are R.A. 16h15m Dec. -3.7 degrees, has a brightness of Magnitude 2.76 and is 172 light years from Earth.

Notable people with the surname 梁

*Alan Leong, Senior Counsel and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
*Antony Leung, banker and former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong
*Beatrisa Liang, an
*Connie Leung, soap actress
*Dana Leong, musician, composer, producer
*David Liang, music producer
*Edward Liang, choreographer and former New York City Ballet soloist
*Elsie Leung, solicitor and Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong
*Gigi Leung, singer and actress
*Hossan Leong, entertainer
*, Hong Kong-based Macau born singer, actress and model
*Jack Neo, actor, host and film-maker
*Jasmine Leong, also known as Fish Leong, singer
*Jason Leung, TV news anchor
*Jennifer Leung, pianist
*John Liang Zhaohui, Chief Financial Officer of Lerner Heidenberg Properties in northern New Jersey, US.
*Joshua Leong, Head of Protocol, Ministry of Defence, Singapore
*Katie Leung, Scottish actress
*Ken Leung, actor
*Kevin Liang, famous skateboarder
*Leung Chun-ying, surveyor and member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
*Leung Kwok-hung, Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
*Liang Qichao, scholar, philosopher, journalist and reformist
*Liang Shih-Chiu , scholar and writer
*Liang Wenbo, Chinese snooker player
*Liang Youchang, Chinese journalist
*Martin Leung, The Video Game Pianist
*Mira Leung, a
*Tommy Leung, actor
*, actor and singer
*, actor
*Wendy Leung, Canadian singer-songwriter

Historical people with the surname 梁

* Liang Hongyu was a female general and the wife of a mighty Song Dynasty general, Han Shizhong. Even today, it is said that, standing on Golden Mountain, one can still hear her beating the mighty war drum which stirred the hearts of her Song soldiers.

* Green Pearl , whose surname was Liang, was a native of Bobai and the favourite concubine of a wealthy man, Shi Chong who lived during the Western Jin Dynasty . Her tale is one of devotion and loyalty.

* Luong Dac Bang, a Vietnamese famous scholar, teacher of Nguyen Binh Khiem.

* Liang Ju-yuan a 16th century scholar better known for his pseudonym Ho Hsin-yin, advocated and attempted to implement the conception of the ideal state, known as Clan Communism. In an essay, "Concerning the Theory: Fatherlessness and the Absence of Princes Are Not Identical with Parricide and Regicide" , he illustrated that Man has a consciousness of hierarchy and moral obligation. In 1553AD, he built the "Hall for Gathering in Harmony" in the Yang-feng district . He proposed that the powerful and far-flung Liang clan set up a kind of family commune with two principal areas of activity, a communal educational system, and the common cultivation of the fields.

* , also known as 'Ah Fa', was the first Chinese Pastor in a Protestant church. Born in Gao He of Guangdong in 1784, Liang traveled to Guangzhou to study the technology of block printing in 1804. He met Robert Morrison in 1810 and began to print Bibles for Mr. Morrison, despite the ban by the Qing government. In 1815, Liang joined the British Missionary and was baptized the following year. Morrison made Liang the first Chinese pastor in Macao in 1824 and Liang later returned to preach in Guangzhou. Liang was also know for his work in editing and distributing Christian booklets and flyers, and he turned his house into a meeting place for Christians. Liang died in Guangzhou in 1854. Liang's work had quite a bit of impact on Hong Xiu Quan who initiated the Taiping Rebellion .

* Liang Hong who together with his wife, Meng Guang comes a story of love and respect. The Chinese phrase "holding the tray level with the eyebrows" pays tribute to the couple, and is used to this day, to characterize married couples who treat each other with love and respect.

* Liang Shanbo in the Butterfly Lovers. The most famous Chinese traditional love story is about 梁山伯 Liang Shanbo and 祝英台 Zhu Yingtai. A well known legend and tale of tragic love. This tale is a well told tale immortalized in song and dance, tribute to the "Romeo and Juliet" of the Ancient Chinese.

* Liang K'ai lived during the Song Dynasty in the 13th century. His works hail as some of the greatest works of Chinese classical art. Liang K'ai pioneered an expressive and simplified style of ink painting. After becoming a Zen monk, he turned from his earlier landscapes to concentrate mainly on figure paintings done in a new technique using a wide, soft brush with a few deft and seemingly spontaneous strokes. Among these works is The Poet Li T'ai Po . Liang K'ai has been immortalised by having a crater on Mercury named after him!

* Luong Van Can , founder and schoolmaster of Tonkin Free School.

* Liang Ling-tsan, an 8th century, military engineer who together with learned Buddhist monk I-hsing, in trying to devise a more precise calendar, constructed a great astronomical clock on the grounds of the palace in Ch'ang-an. This ancestor of all modern clocks, completed in A.D. 721, was the first machine known to employ an escapement, the basic device that is still used to regulated clocks. It divided the power from a water-wheel into exactly similar unit impulses so that the apparent motions of stars and the less regular wanderings of the planets could be duplicated by the measurable movements of a bronze microcosm of rings and little spheres, while wooden figures struck out the sequence of the hours.

* Liang Shi Du - a person from Xiazhou of Sui Dynasty who started an uprising against Sui and self-proclaimed as emperor. His national symbol was Liang and his year symbol was Yonglong. He was the ruler of a Turk Vassal state north of Chang-an on the border of the Ordos Desert in Northern Shensi from A.D. 617-628. He was the last rebel from the Sui Period to be destroyed by the Tang in A.D. 628.

* Liang Chung-i was a Rebel Governor in Hsiang Yang Province during the Ho Pei Rebellions from A.D. 781-786.

* Liang Shou-chien was a Eunuch who was the first Commissioner of Privy Affairs in A.D. 810

* Liang Te-Kuei was a Chinese administrator in Temur's Court

* Hsiao Hsien from the Liang Imperial family declared himself "Emperor of Liang" in Southern China from A.D. 617-621.

* Liang I-Mai to Liang Chi-Pu - The Liang clan held control of a Tangut state of Hsia during the Northern Sung, through a succession of Liang Empresses and Prime Ministers.

* Liang Chenyu Chinese playwright and author of the first play of the K'un school of dramatic singing. He was born in K'un-shan in Kiangsu Province. When his great actor-friend Wei Liang-fu developed a new, more subtle and quiet style of dramatic singing, he asked Liang Ch'en-y??? to create a showcase for his new style, and Liang complied by writing the "Huan sha chi"

* Liang Menglung was the Governor of Shantung Province who, with Tu Tsemin the Governor of Fukien Province, petitioned and got the Ming Government to lift the ban on Maritime activity, resulting in the great age of travel, culminating in the journeys of Admiral Cheng Ho.

* Liang Desheng - She completed the tanci Zai sheng yuan , left unfinished by Chen Duangshen.

* Liang Tingnan of the Qing Dynasty compiled the Tenghuating or Mirror Catalogue.

* Liang Shi Cheng - Song Dynasty

* Liang Shang was a Regent and the father of the consort during the Han.

* Liang Chi - Han Dynasty tyrant whose excesses led the to tragic downfall of the entire Liang Clan at the hands of the Han Court Eunuchs

* Liang Qing - Song Dynasty

* Liang Guo Zhi - Qing Dynasty

* Liang Si Cheng - a person of Guangdong Xinhui who participated in countless designing of important structures in China, Beijing.

* Liang Shiyi - appointed Prime Minister in A.D. 1921 for the government of Beiyang.

* Liang Xiao from a leading southern Liang family, Empress to Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty.

* Liang Yi & Liang Hong - Spring-Autumn period in the Jin Kingdom.

* Liang Gonghong - Spring-Autumn period in the Chu Kingdom.

* Liang Zhang Ju passed the Imperial Examination during the reign of Emperor Jia Qing and became a Jin Shi. He was appointed an official and eventually became the Governor of the two provinces of Jiangsu and Jiangxi. He had written many books.

* Liang Xing was a rebel leader in the Chang'an area who was defeated and killed by Xiahou Yuan during the Three Kingdoms era. He was one of the few Liang of significance after the slaughter of the Liang Clan by the Han Court Eunuchs.

Li (surname)

Li is a common transliteration of several Chinese family names, including that of , the most common Chinese family name. Alternate Romanizations include Lai , L? , Lí, Lee , Lei , Lie , and Lê . Taken collectively, these surnames make Li the most common surname in the world, far outstripping the most common Western surname, .

Surnames transliterated as Li:
*
* , and
* , , , , , , and

Li

Li is a .

It is the most widespread surname in China, with about 7.9 percent of the Chinese population possessing this family name . As of 2002, there were approximately 103 million people in China and 108 million worldwide with this surname. To date, this remains the world's most common family name. A that uses the same Chinese character, which is often romanized as , is the second most common Korean surname, after . Both the Korean family name and the Vietnamese family name L? were derived from the same Chinese character as the Chinese surname.

In Taiwan and Hong Kong, and in many overseas Chinese communities, the spelling "Lee" is common. There are numerous regional Chinese pronunciations of 李 e.g. Lì , Lei5 etc.

History

According to the ''Yuan He Xing Zuan'' , the Chinese dictionary of surnames, the Li surname has a long history which goes back to who was the first Li and lived before 2000 BC.

Li was the royal surname of the Tang Dynasty . About 15 different emperors had the Li surname. Li Yuan was the founder of the Tang Dynasty, which lasted from AD 618 to 906. During this time, Chinese culture and arts flourished and the country prospered tremendously.

A legend about the Li family is that those who are the directly descended from rebel Emperor Zhuanzu have a genetic trait noticeable in their feet. The last toe on each foot would be pointing inward a little rather than being straight like the rest of the toes. In addition, the nail on this foot has two sections, with one section appearing to override the other. This distinguishes the "true" Li's from the other families with the name as they were born with perfect feet.

The family of Chinese leader Mao Zedong seems to have had a special fondness with the Li family name. Mao himself went by the name Li Desheng for a period of time during the Long March, while his daughters are named Li Min and Li Na, while Jiang Qing, his last wife, used the name Li Runqing in her final years. Mao Yuanxin was named Li Shi while working in a factory after his release from prison.

Chinese

Prominent people with family name 李

Government, politics, military

* Li Ao, Taiwanese writer,
* Li Changchun, member of the
* Li Guofan, politician
* Li Hongzhang, , general and government minister during Ching Dynasty
* Li Lu, businessman, dissident, former student protestor
* Li Peng, former Premier of the People's Republic of China
* Li Ruihuan, PRC politician
* Li Si, prime minister of the Qin dynasty
* Lee Teng-hui, former
* Tien-Min Li, and historian
* Li Zicheng, rebel
* The Li royals of the Tang Dynasty
* Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore

Entertainment

* , acclaimed Academy Awards winning film director
* , actor, son of Bruce Lee
* , martial arts practitioner, actor
* , Taiwanese-American singer and actress
* , Singapore born entertainer now based at Japan
* Herman Li, Guitarist from DragonForce, known for his signature speed and video game-influenced sounds
* Li Han Hsiang, Chinese film director
* Li Lianjie, known as Jet Li Chinese martial arts practitioner, actor
* Li Yong, Chinese television host
* , pianist, and the youngest to win the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition.

Literature, writing, journalism

* Li Bai , Tang Dynasty poet
* Li Hou Zhu also known as Li Yu , poet and last ruler of the Southern Tang kingdom
* Li Qingzhao , Soong Dynasty writer and poet regarded by many as the premier woman poet in the Chinese language
* Li Shangyin , Tang dynasty poet
* Li Yu , author, dramatist, producer, director and book-shop owner in the Kiangsu province of China

Business

* , founding president of Google China
* Lee Shau Kee, Hong Kong billionaire businessman
* GBS, , , Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia in Hong Kong
* Li Ka Shing, prominent Hong Kong businessman
* , Chairman and Executive Director of PCCW and son of Li Ka Shing
* , Hong Kong businessman and son of Li Ka Shing
* , construction CEO in South Korea, one of 200 most prominent person in his time

Scholars, academics, scientists

* , eminent surgeon and former Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, brother of David Li
* , Hong Kong economist and educator
* Li Er , philosopher during Zhou Dynasty
* , scholar
* , scholar
* , scholar
* Tsung-dao Lee, physicist
* , Chinese-American physicist
* , chemist
* , construction CEO in South Korea, one of 200 most prominent person in his time

Other

* Li Cairong, a woman who lived longer than 100 years
* Li Hongzhi , founder of Falun Gong
* Li Huirong, Chinese long and triple jumper
* Li Shizhen , , called one of the greatest physicians and pharmacologists in Chinese history, Ming dynasty
* , Christian minister
* Li Yu, Chinese Olympic speed skater.
* Keith Ly, , Film Director and Pianist
* , peace maker of the free world
* Li Si Qi, Emperor

Fictional characters with family name 李

* Lee Bailong of ''Shaman King''
* Lee Diendou of ''Fighter's History''
* Li Kohran of ''Sakura Wars''
* Meiling Li, Syaoran Li, and Yelan Li of ''Cardcaptor Sakura''
* Jenrya Li or Li Jianliang and Shuichon Li or Li Xiaochun of ''Digimon Tamers''
* Li Xiangying of ''''
* Lenalee and Komui Lee of ''D.Gray-man''
* Li Xiaoyao of ''Xianjian Qixia Zhuan''
* Lee, in the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Lei (surname)

Lei is the pinyin of a Chinese surname. The most common character is 雷 , meaning "Thunder". 雷 is the 78th most common Chinese surname as of 2006 according to a study carried out by the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Common alternate non-pinyin anglicizations include Lui and Louie/Louis .

The character 雷 is structured with the rain radical on top and the character for fields on the bottom.

A more popular Chinese surname that can be written as 'Lei' is . The spelling 'Lei' for this surname is used mostly in Macau. Its phonation comes from the Portuguese and reflects Cantonese pronunciation.

Prominent People with last name 雷

* Lei Chen , Taiwanese politicians
* Lei Feng
* Lei Sheng , Chinese foil fencer
* Lei Yixin , Chinese sculptor
* The Lei style architects of the Qing Dynasty

Lai (surname)

Lai is a common Chinese surname that is pronounced similarly in both and dialects.

In Cantonese, a different last name "黎" is also romanized into "Lai". It is pronounced as Li in Mandarin: see Lí .

The Lai's ancestry is from the state of in the Spring and Autumn Period. Many Lais dispersed to the south during their defeat by the , many even changed their surname to escape persecution.

The brother of Zhou Wu Wang, Shu Ying, was awarded as Duke of Lai . In 583 B.C the Lai kingdom was destroyed
by Chu Ling Wang. Some of its people fled to neighboring kingdoms of Luo and Fu, others migrated north and settled in Da Yan . They adopted the name Lai to commemorate their old kingdom.

Today, the largest Lai clans are in Taiwan, Philippines, Xingning, Meishen and Melbourne (Flemington, Delahey, Sydenham, Richmond, Keysborough and Endeavour Hills. A 2006 census shows that Lai is the 90th most common surname in China.

Kuang (surname)

Kwong , of Hainan County, Canton, was a Ming dynasty literati, specializing in poetry, literature, and calligraphy. In 1634, seventh year of Ming 's reign , he offended the magistrate of Hainan County and was exiled to Guangxi province where he became the scribe for five clans, the Shen, Lan, Hu, Hou, and P'an . He later became employed by ''Yün-shan'' , a female warrior of the Yao tribe , an ethnic Chinese tribe, and became familiar with the cultural anthropology, geography, and agriculture of the Yao peoples. He later authored ''Ch'e-ya'' , now considered an authoritative book of the ethnic minority cultures and geography of the region. He was later employed by King Tang in the Southern Ming period where he was sent as an emissary to by Emperor Yungli . When the Manchurian armies conquered the Ming empire, Kwong Lu committed suicide while embracing a traditional Chinese zither, weapon, and a classical text.

Kwong Yeh , of I-chang County, Hunan（湖南宜章)，was a Ming dynasty literati, winning the imperial examination in the reign of Emperor and was appointed a position in the Imperial Defense department . Yeh's father, ''Tzufu'' , was an Anfu county magistrate and later the chief educational minister of Chüjung County . According to the classic ''Ming Annals: Story of K'uang Yeh'' , Tzufu was known as a remarkable educator and parent, shaping Meng-chih to become a studious, righteous, incorrupt, serious person exhibiting the utmost filial-piety towards his parents. When he was appointed the magistrate of Shan-tso county, Yeh became overcome with solitude from his parents, and decided to employ his father as the county examinations official. When Tzufu was notified of this, he became angry, telling his son that as a magistrate, he should not appoint an elder as an employee, due to improper observation of filial piety, remarking that "A son cannot control or complain about a father's work." On another occasion, Meng-chih sent some robes made of a rough cloth to Tzufu, and Tzufu repudiated Yeh, telling him that, "Why then do you insult me by sending me such clothes?" When Yeh learned of his father's reaction he broke into tears, accepting his father's scolding.



Kwong Jih-kuang , a Ming literati and a native of P'anyü County, Canton province, was an administrator of the Ming capital, Hsiangyang. In Ming Emperor 's reign, Mongol bandits surrounded the city, Jih-kuang defended the city and was murdered under a bandit's sword, alongside his wife, concubine, two sons and two daughters.

Hiram Fong* , native of Taishan county, Canton, was a 20th century American politician. A true Horatio Alger legend, Fong was born into an impoverished family in Kalihi, Hawai'i on Oct. 1, 1907, as Yau Leong Fong. As a youth, Fong attended public schools, and held a variety of jobs to support his family, by selling beans and newspapers, shining shoes, and caddying golf for a quarter for nine holes. He later attended the University of Hawai'i, where he was the editor for the Ka Leo and Ka Palapala, the yearbook, and was a ROTC cadet, which paid 30 cents a day, "that paid for my lunch," recounted Fong. In 1930, Fong graduated with honors from UH in three years and attended Harvard Law School in 1932, later working as a deputy city attorney in Honolulu from 1935-1938. In 1938, Fong won election to the Territorial House of Representatives at the age of 31 and was chosen the House Speaker. His service in the Territorial House halted with the start of World War II in 1942 however, when he was called into action, serving as the judge advocate with the 7th Fighter Command of the Seventh Air Force, earning the rank of major and later retiring as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. After his World War II service, Fong returned to his Territorial Legislature seat, finishing his term as the Vice President of the Territorial Constitutional Convention in 1950. In 1959, after a successful build-up of one of Hawai'i largest insurance financial empires, he ran for one of the two new US Senate seats for the state, becoming the only Republican to ever represent Hawai'i in the Senate, and the first and only Asian American to serve in the United States. Fong held the seat until Jan. 2, 1977, when he retired from politics as the ranking Republican on six committees from agriculture to retirement. He returned to his finance empire in 1976, serving as chairman of Finance Enterprises, Ltd. He died due to kidney failure on August 18, 2004 and is interred in Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary.

Peter Kwong, or The Most Reverend Dr Peter Kong-Kit Kwong , is the archbishop of the Anglican province of Hong Kong and served as the first Chinese primate of the Anglican communion until 2006, when he was successed by The Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwong.

Li-jen Kwong , is the first female mayor of Tai-tung, Taiwan, Republic of China. Wife of former Tai-tung Mayor Wu Jun-li, Li-jen Kwong represents the Kuomintang, the Chinese Nationalist Party.

Paul Kwong, or The Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwong 　is the Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Hong Kong Island Diocese．

Matt Fong* , is the adopted son of former Democratic Secretary of State March Fong Eu of California. He is a 1975 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy in 1975 and the Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles in 1985, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. Fong was the Vice Chairman of the state Board of Equalization from 1990 to 1994 and as State Treasurer until 1998. In the U.S. Senate election, 1998, he challenged sitting California Senator Barbara Boxer unsuccessfully. Since then, he has returned to the practice of law and was appointed by President George W. Bush as the chairman of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Advisory Board.
* Note: Due to the Taishan dialect which pronounces Kwong as ''Fong'', the name was transliterated to Fong in the English language.

Larry "King" Kwong was a right-winger who made it into the New York Rangers' line-up for one season in 1947-48, the first Chinese-Canadian to play in the NHL. He was a successful amateur and minor pro player who also played a year in the United Kingdom. Born in Vernon, B.C., first played with such well known western clubs as the Trail Smoke Eaters, Nanaimo Clippers and Red Deer Wheelers. In 1946-47, he came east and registered 37 points in 47 games for the New York Rovers of the EHL in 1946-47. Following his appearance with the Rangers, Kwong played with the Rovers' EHL franchise before moving on to the team the organization had entered in the Quebec Senior League. Content in the QSHL, Kwong spent the next seven years with the league's Valleyfield Braves. He topped the 20-goal mark six times and led the Braves to the league championship in 1951. That year he was presented the Vimy Trophy as the most valuable player in the league. Kwong retired in 1958 after spending a year with the Nottingham Panthers of the British League.

Cally Kwong won Miss Hong Kong 1982 and subsequently entered the Chinese entertainment industry as an actress and successful musician, producing many hits in the eighties. She is also notable for her interest in traditional Chinese opera and instruments.

Kylie Kwong is a prominent Australian television chef, author, television presenter and restaurateur.

Chi-Kin Kwong, or 鄺志堅, is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the non-geographical labour functional constituency, and a member of the Bar of England and Hong Kong.

His Honour, the Honourable Norman Lim Kwong CM AOE is the 16th Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Alberta, Canada and a former Canadian Football League player. He was the first Chinese-Canadian player in the CFL and was known in his playing days as the 'Chinese Clipper'.

Variations

Variations of the surname, Kwong, also remain common. These include different spellings of the English term, and versions from other countries and cultures. In the overseas communities, those with the spelling Kwong trace their origins to families who have immigrated overseas before the 1970s when Mainland China reformed its romanization system, adjusting the surname spelling to Kuàng. Hong Kong residents continue to use the spelling Kwong along with most overseas Chinese communities, especially those that immigrated before the 1970s.

Alternatively, since the majority of Kwongs trace their origins to Taishan, a coastal county in province, many Kwongs pronounce the name Fong, in accordance with the pronunciation of the local dialect.

Organizational affiliations

''See: Soo Yuen Benevolent Association''

English variations

In addition, at the beginning of the 20th century, when many new Chinese immigrants were entering the U.S., those filling out ships' manifests sometimes spelled it in a variety of ways, including Kuàng, Kuang, Kong, Kwang, Kwong, and Fong.
In Australia, the surname can be spelled as Quong.

List of common Chinese surnames

This is a list of the top 100 most common Chinese surnames according to a study published in 2006. Their ranks in 1990 are shown by the side. , and transliterations are displayed. Other transliterations, used before the formalization and popularization of existing Romanizations, still can be found in the names of some overseas Chinese. Transliterations in other Chinese languages used by some overseas Chinese whose ancestral mother tongue is neither Mandarin, Cantonese or Minnan also exist, as well as pronunciations in other languages, particularly Korean and Vietnamese, in which these surnames are commonly used. The Japanese transliterations are very rarely carried by ethnic Japanese in Japan, instead they are used by ethnic Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese.

2006 Rankings

# Unofficial versions of Wade-Giles transliterations, appear in parentheses. Currently, Wade-Giles is used primarily to romanize Taiwanese names, and often appears without the diacritics.
# This is the romanization used most often by the Hong Kong Government in transliterating names for birth certificates and identity cards. It is an unsystematic method based on the Meyer-Wempe system, without any of the aspiration marks and diacritics.
# None or very few in South Korean 2000 census . Only indicated for Chinese 40 most common surnames, not checked for Chinese 41–100. Names 1–40 whose Korean rank or number is not indicated have more than 1.000 bearers according to the census, but are not among the most common 16 names.
# Portuguese transliteration only used in Macau
# Common Americanised spelling

History

* 2006 - Ranking based on a multi-year survey and study conducted by Yuan Yida, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, using a sample size of 296 million, spread across 1,110 counties and cities. A total of 4,100 surnames recorded.
* November 2004 - China issued its first set of postage stamps, for each of the top 100 Chinese family names .
* 1990 - Sample size of 174,900.