Chinese surnames and what they carry.

李 Lǐ Li · Lee · Ly 李 is one of the oldest and most widespread Chinese surnames. One traditional account traces it to G… 王 Wáng Wang · Wong 王 means “king”. Many branches of the surname claim descent from royal houses of the Zhou period and… 张 Zhāng Zhang · Chang · Cheung 张 is traditionally traced to Zhang Hui (張揮), a descendant of the Yellow Emperor who was associated … 刘 Liú Liu · Lau 刘 is associated with the Han dynasty imperial family and with the ancient state of Liu. It is one o… 陈 Chén Chen · Chan 陈 is associated with the ancient state of Chen (陳國), in present-day Henan, and with descendants of … 杨 Yáng Yang · Yeung 杨 is traditionally linked to the state of Yang and to the Yang family of the Sui dynasty. 赵 Zhào Zhao · Chiu 赵 is the surname of the Song dynasty imperial family and is associated with the state of Zhao. 黄 Huáng Huang · Wong 黄 is associated with the ancient state of Huang and is especially common in southern China. 周 Zhōu Zhou · Chow 周 is associated with the Zhou dynasty and the state of Zhou. 吴 Wú Wu · Ng 吴 is associated with the ancient state of Wu in the lower Yangtze region. 徐 Xú Xu · Chui 徐 is associated with the ancient state of Xu and with descendants of the Xu clan. 孙 Sūn Sun · Suen 孙 means “grandchild” and is associated with the state of Sun and with military strategist Sun Tzu. 胡 Hú Hu · Wu 胡 is associated with northern and western peoples who settled in China and with the state of Hu. 朱 Zhū Zhu · Chu 朱 is the surname of the Ming dynasty imperial family and is associated with the state of Zhu. 高 Gāo Gao · Ko 高 means “tall” or “high” and is associated with the state of Gao and with northern lineages. 林 Lín Lin · Lam 林 means “forest” or “grove”. One tradition traces the surname to Bi Gan (比干), a minister of the Sha… 何 Hé He · Ho 何 is associated with the state of Han and with families who changed Han to He to avoid a naming tab… 郭 Guō Guo · Kwok 郭 means “outer city wall” and is associated with the state of Guo. 马 Mǎ Ma · Ma 马 means “horse” and is associated with the state of Ma and with cavalry families. 罗 Luó Luo · Law · Lo 罗 is associated with the ancient state of Luo and with families who took the name of their homeland. 郑 Zhèng Zhèng 郑 is associated with the ancient state of Zheng in central China. 梁 Liáng Liáng 梁 is associated with the ancient state of Liang and with the Liang dynasty (502–557). 谢 Xiè Xiè 谢 is associated with the ancient state of Xie and with families from the Xie lineage. 宋 Sòng Sòng 宋 is associated with the ancient state of Song and with the Song dynasty (960–1279). 唐 Táng Táng 唐 is associated with the ancient state of Tang and the Tang dynasty (618–907). 韩 Hán Hán 韩 is associated with the ancient state of Han and with the Han dynasty; it is also a common Korean … 邓 Dèng Dèng 邓 is associated with the ancient state of Deng and with the Deng lineage. 冯 Féng Féng 冯 is associated with the ancient state of Feng and with families from northern China. 曹 Cáo Cáo 曹 is associated with the ancient state of Cao and with the Cao family of the Three Kingdoms period. 安 Ān An · On 安 means “peace” or “safety”. The surname has several origins. One tradition traces it to the ancien…