) Yao surname in regular script | |
| Pronunciation | Yáo (Pinyin) Iâu (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | Chinese, Vietnamese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Chinese |
| Word/name | Henan Fan County or Shandong[1] |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Yao (Mandarin) Yiu (Cantonese) Iao, Iau (Hokkien) Diêu (Vietnamese) |
Yao (Chinese: 姚; pinyin: Yáo), 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: Yiu
- Min Nan (Hokkien (Fujian)/Teochew): Iao, Iau, Yeo
- 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.
- Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, a Chinese computer scientist and A.M. Turing Award laureate.
- Jianping Yao, Canadian engineer.
- Yao Ming, a retired Chinese professional basketball player.
- Yao Wenyuan, member of the Gang of Four.
- MC HotDog (born name as Yao Chung-jen), a Taiwanese rap artist known for his use of explicit lyrics in his songs.
- Yao Beina, a famous Chinese singer.
- Yao Chen, a famous 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)
- Yiu
- Claire Yiu, a Hong Kong actress.
- Edward Yiu, a Hong Kong scholar and politician.
- Raymond Yiu, a Hong Kong composer.
- Yiu Cheuk Yin, a Hong Kong footballer.
- Yiu Ho Ming, a Hong Kong footballer.
- Yiu Si-wing, a Hong Kong lawmaker.
- Yeow
- Yeow Chai Tiam, Malaysian politician.
References
- ^ Southern Song《通志·氏族略》records：「姚姓，虞之姓也，虞帝生於姚墟，故因生以為姓」
- ^ (in Chinese) 公安部统计分析显示：王姓成为我国第一大姓
Learning of the Chinese culture- the Yao dynasty