Yao (surname) explained

Yao
Pronunciation:	Yáo (Pinyin) Iâu (Pe̍h-ōe-jī)
Language:	Chinese
Language origin:	Old Chinese
Origin:	Henan Fan County or Shandong^[1]
Variant:	Yao (Mandarin) Yiu (Cantonese) Lao, Lau, Yeow (Hokkien) Diêu, Dao (Vietnamese) Yo (Korean) Yō (Japanese)

Yao, also romanized as Yiu in Cantonese, is one of the most ancient Chinese surnames, the "Eight Great Xings of High Antiquity". It is also unique that, along with Jiang 姜 it is still in common use in the modern day. It is listed 101st in the Hundred Family Surnames, and as the 51st most common surname in Mainland China.^[2]

Alternate spellings

• Mandarin: Yao
• Cantonese: Iu, Yiu
• Min Nan (Hokkien (Fujian)/Teochew): Lao, Lau, Yeow
• Vietnamese: Diêu, Dao
• Korean: Yo
• Japanese: Yō
• Singapore: Yow, Yeo
• Malaysia: Yeow

Prominent people

Yao

• Yao Chonghua, the name of Emperor Shun of pre-dynastic China, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
• Yao Chang, founding emperor of the Later Qin Dynasty
• Yao Ming, Chinese professional basketball player and humanitarian
• Andrew Yao, Chinese computer scientist and A.M. Turing Award laureate
• Jianping Yao, Canadian engineer
• Yao Defen, former world's tallest woman
• Yao Wenyuan, member of the Gang of Four
• MC HotDog (born name as Yao Chung-jen), Taiwanese rapper
• Yao Beina, Chinese singer
• Yao Chen, Chinese actress
• Yao Jen-to, Vice Chairperson and Secretary-General of Straits Exchange Foundation of the Republic of China
• Yao Leeh-ter, Political Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China (2017–2019)
• Yao Mingming, Former member of K-pop group BLK and C-pop Group UNINE
• Yao Wenlong, Malaysia born Singapore actor

Yiu

• Claire Yiu, Hong Kong actress
• Edward Yiu, Hong Kong scholar and politician
• Raymond Yiu, Hong Kong composer
• Yiu Cheuk Yin, Hong Kong footballer
• Yiu Ho Ming, Hong Kong footballer
• Yiu Si-wing, Hong Kong lawmaker
• Chantel Yiu, Hong Kong singer and actress

Yeow

• Yeow Chai Thiam, Malaysian politician.

Notes and References

1. [Southern Song]
2. Web site: 2007-04-29 . 公安部统计分析显示：王姓成为我国第一大姓 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070429143122/http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2007-04/24/content_6021482.htm . 2007-04-29 . 2022-07-25 .