Yang
Cursive form of the 羊 character
Chinese
Literal meaningsheep, goat

Yang (羊) is a Chinese surname.[1] It is romanized Joeng in Cantonese romanization. According to a 2013 study, it was the 391st most common name in China; it was shared by 136,000 people, or 0.01% of the population, being most popular in Hainan.[2] It is the 202nd name in the Hundred Family Surnames poem.[3]

Origins

The surname is from the Chinese 羊 meaning "goat" or "sheep."[4] Origins for the surname include:

  • from yangren (羊人) the name of an official post during the Western Zhou period (1046–771 BC) who was in charge of animal sacrifices.[5]
  • A shortened form of the compound surname Yangshe (羊舌) which was originally the name of a fief (located in modern Hebei) granted to an official in the state of Jin, a great-grandson of Duke Wu of Jin (ruler of the state of Jin 716–677 BC). Some of the Yangshe clan adopted the much more common surname Yang (楊/杨).[5][6]

Notable people

References

  1. 羊姓史话. 江西人民出版社. February 23, 2001. ISBN 9787210024453 via Google Books.
  2. Yuan Yida (袁义达), Qiu Jiaru, 邱家儒. 中国四百大姓. Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013
  3. K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1285-9.
  4. "A dictionary of the chinese language, in three parts : part the first, containing Chinese and English, arranged according to the radicals, part the second, Chinese and English arranged alphabetical, and part the third, English and Chinese: pt. 1.3". published and sold by Kingsbury, Parbury and Allen. February 23, 1823 via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 "Yang Name Meaning & Yang Family History at Ancestry.com®". www.ancestry.com.
  6. Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (November 17, 2016). "The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland". Oxford University Press via Google Books.
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