Huang (; ) is a Chinese surname. While Huáng is the pinyin romanization of the word, it may also be romanized as Hwang, Wong, Waan, Wan, Waon, Hwong, Vong, Hung, Hong, Bong, Eng, Ng, Uy, Wee, Oi, Oei, Oey, Ooi, Ong, or Ung due to pronunciations of the word in different dialects and languages. It is the 96th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.K. S. Tom. (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. .
This surname is known as Hwang in Korean. In Vietnamese, the name is known as Hoàng or Huỳnh.
Huang is the 7th most common surname in China. Hoang/Huynh is the 5th most common surname in Vietnam.Meaning of Chinese names – H The population of Huangs in China and Taiwan was estimated at more than 35 million in 2020; it was also the surname of more than 2 million overseas Chinese, 5.7 million Vietnamese (6%), and an estimated 1 million Koreans (the 2015 census of South Korea revealed it was the surname for 697,171 South Koreans, ranked 16th).
Huang is also the pinyin romanization of the very rare surname .
Pronunciations/transliterations Huang () used in Mandarin Hwang () used in Korean Huỳnh or Hoàng used in Vietnamese Huỳnh is the cognate adopted in Southern and most parts of Central Vietnam because of a naming taboo decree banning the surname Hoàng, due to similarity between the surname and the name of Lord Nguyễn Hoàng Faaj or Fangx used in Hmong language Vangz used in Zhuang language Vong or Voòng used in Hakka, Ngái, and Taishanese Ng, Ung, Ong, Wee, Oi, Ooi or Uy, used in Southern Min, specifically the Hokkien- and Teochew-speaking Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia Ooi, Oei, Oey, Uy in Zhangzhou dialect and Xiamen dialect Ng, Eng used in Quanzhou dialect, Xiamen dialect, and Teochew Ng, Oey or Oei used in Indonesia and Australia Ng, Uy, Wee is used in the Philippines Ng, Ooi, Wee used in Singapore and Malaysia Ooi used in Penang and nearby Malaysian states Wong, Vong or Hwong used in Cantonese, Wu and Fuzhou dialect Oeng, Eung, Ueng, Ung, or Ing (Khmer: ) used in Cambodia Eung or Ueng () used in Thailand (often paired with the prefix 'Sae' (แซ่) to indicate surname.
Origins Huang is an ancient surname. According to tradition, there are several different origins of the surname, for example as descendants of Bo Yi, Lu Zhong (陸終) or Tai Tai (臺駘). There were also at least three Huang Kingdoms during the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. Most of the people with the surname Huang could track back their ancestors to one of the Huang Kingdoms.
Dong Yi Tribe 東夷 The Dongyi or Eastern Barbarians were ancient people who lived in eastern China during the prehistoric period. They were one of the Four Barbarians in Chinese culture, along with the Northern Di 北狄, the Southern Man 南蠻, and the Western Rong 西戎. The Dong Yi tribe was the tribal alliance group that consisted of nine tribes in the Huai River Basin 淮水流域: Quan Yi 畎夷, Yu Yi 於夷, Fang Yi 方夷, Huang Yi 黃夷, Bai Yi 白夷, Chi Yi 赤夷, Xuan Yi 玄夷, Feng Yi 風夷 and Yang Yi 陽夷. The Dong Yi tribe people used different birds as their totems and for Huang Yi 黃夷 tribe, Yellow Oriole 黃鶯 was the totem. Later when the people from Huang Yi 黃夷 tribe moved and settled in different parts of China, they adopted Huang 黃 as their surname.
Ying Clan 嬴姓 Shaohao 少皋 had a son, Gao Yao and Gao Yao had a son, Bo Yi. Bo Yi helped Emperor Shun and Yu the Great control the Great Flood and got surname Ying (嬴) at early Xia dynasty period. Bo Yi married Emperor Shun's youngest daughter and had three sons (some accounts mentioned only two sons – Da Lian and Ruo Mu): Eldest Son Da Lian 大廉 – Founder of Huang Kingdom 黃國 (Qin Kingdom Founder Fei Zi 非子 and Zhao Kingdom Founder Shu Dai 叔帶 were descendants of Da Lian) Second Son Ruo Mu 若木 – Founder of Xu Kingdom 徐國 (his great-great-grandson Fei Chang 費昌 founded Fei Kingdom 費國) Third Son En Cheng 恩成 – Founder of Jiang Kingdom 江國
Xia Yu awarded the Huang kingdom to Da Lian, and his descendants are known as the Huangs. There are total of 14 clans derived from Bo Yi Ying Clan: Lian (廉), Xu (徐), Jiang (江), Qin (秦), Zhao (趙), Huang (黃), Liang (梁), Ma (馬), Ge (葛), Gu (谷), Miao (繆), Zhong (鍾), Fei (費), and Qu (瞿). Rulers of Qin Kingdom, Zhao Kingdom, Qin dynasty and Song dynasty could trace back their ancestor to Bo Yi. Hata Clan (秦氏) of Japan, and Aisin Gioro Clan, Irgen Gioro Clan and Gioro Clan of Manchuria (one of several different opinions) were also derived from Bo Yi Ying Clan.
Ji Clan 姬姓 The lineage of Huang Clan from the Yellow Emperor is as follows: 1) Yellow Emperor 黃帝 -> 2) Chang Yi 昌意 -> 3) Zhuanxu Emperor 顓頊帝 -> 4) Da Ye 大業 (aka Ye the Great) -> 5) Shao Dian 少典 -> 6) Nu Shen 女莘 -> 7) Da Fei 大費 (aka Fei the Great) -> 8) Juan Zhang 卷章 -> 9) Wu Hui 吳回 (also known as Zhurong) -> 10) Lu Zhong 陸終 -> 11) Hui Lian 惠連 (Some accounts state that Hui Lian is son of Fan Ren, son of Lu Zhong). Lu Zhong had six sons: Eldest Son Fan 樊 (also known as Fan Ren 樊人 or Kun Wu 昆吾) – Legendary Pottery Inventor and Founder of Kunwu 昆吾國, Second Son Ding 定 (also known as Hui Lian 惠连 or Can Hu 參胡) – Founder of Huang 黃國, Third Son Qian (also known as Qian Keng 钱铿) – Legendary God of Longevity and Founder of Da Peng 大彭國, Fourth Son Qiu 求 (also known as Qiu Yan 求言 or Kuai Ren 鄶人)- Founder of Kuai 鄶國, Fifth Son Yan An 晏安 (also known as Cao An 曹安 or Zao An 遭安) – Founder of Zhu 邾國, and Sixth Son Ji 季 (also known as Ji Lian 季连) – Founder of Chu 楚國.
In 2220 BC during the reign of Emperor Yao 帝堯, Hui Lian 惠連 scored merits in harnessing river floods. Emperor Yao conferred on Hui Lian the title of Viscount 子 (but the nobility system of ancient China is still not clear) and the state of Can'hu 參胡 (in present-day region of Fenyang, Shanxi province). Emperor Yao renamed Can'hu as State of Huang, and bestowed on Hui Lian the surname Huang 黃 and the name "Yun" 雲. Hence, Hui Lian was also known as Huang Yun 黃雲 or Nan Lu 南陆. Hui Lian became the Progenitor of the Huang surname clan. During Western Zhou dynasty, the rulers of the Huang State was given the title of Duke 公. The descendants of Huang Yun (Hui Lian) ruled the Huang State of Shanxi until the early Spring and Autumn period (722 BC-481 BC) when it was conquered by the State of Jin.
Another lineage of Huang Clan from the Yellow Emperor is as follows: 1) Yellow Emperor 黃帝 -> 2) Shao Hao 少昊 -> 3) Jiao Ji 嬌極 -> 4) Hui Gong 揮公 -> 5) Mei 昧 -> 6) Tai Tai 臺駘. Tai Tai helped Zhuanxu, and he and his descendants (Jin Tian Clan 金天氏) were enfeoffed with Fen Zhou 汾州 at Fen River 汾河 which was further divided into four kingdoms – Huang Kingdom 黃國, Shen Kingdom 沈國, Ru Kingdom 蓐國 and Si Kingdom 姒國.
Development and emigration In 891 BC King Xiao of Zhou conferred on the 53rd generation descendant of Hui Lian, Huang Xi 黃熙 (aka Huang Shi 黃石) the nobility of 'Hou' 侯 (marquis) and a fiefdom in the region east of the Han river 漢水 (in present-day region of Yicheng, Hubei province) called 'Huang' 黃 (Not to be confused with the Huang State of Fenyang, Shanxi) with the four states Jiang 江, Huang 黃 (founded by 伯益 Bo Yi's descendants), Dao 道, and Bo 柏 in the Huang river 潢水 valley as vassals. The Huang State of Yicheng, Hubei was known as the Western Huang (Xi Huang 西黃) in history.
During the Jin dynasty (266–420), when northern China was invaded by the barbarian tribes, many northerners (especially the aristocratic clans) moved to south China with the Jin court. It was during this period that the Huang clansmen migrated to Fujian.
According to Min Shu 閩書 (Book of Min) (Quoted from Chung Yoon-Ngan): "During the second year (of the reign) of Yongjia (308AD) the Central Plain was in chaos and the eight clans:- Lin 林, Huang 黃, Chen 陳, Zheng 鄭, Zhan 詹, Qiu 邱, He 何, and Hu 胡, entered Min 閩 (present day Fujian province, China)."
From the Tang dynasty (618–907) onwards, many Han Chinese migrated from Fujian to Guangdong and the other southern provinces. Huang grew into a big clan in south China and it is the 3rd biggest surname in Southern China today. The Cantonese Baiyue adopted Huang surname as well.
Huang migration overseas began as early as the 14th century during the Ming dynasty to destinations in Southeast Asia. Migration to Americas began only in the mid-19th century following the forced opening of China's doors to the West. Huang is one of the largest Chinese surname clans in Americas today. The population of overseas Huang Clansmen was estimated at 2 million in 2000.
The surname 皇 has several origins:
The descendants of the Three Emperors of ancient China. The descendants of Duke Dai of Song's prince named Huangfu Chongshi 皇父充石. An ancient book Xing Kao 姓考 says Zheng Kingdom has a royal clan named Huang clan 皇氏.
Across Guangdong, three million people surnamed Huang claim descent from the same paternal ancestor, Huang Qiaoshan who lived in the Tang dynasty and migrated to Fujian at the end of the dynasty, via three of his sons (out of 21) who founded different branches, found among the Hakka, Chaoshan and Cantonese. Among them are the Longgang, Kengxi village Hakka Huang, the Cantonese "guangfu" Huang native to Shenzhen in the villages of Shangsha & Xiasha & the Chaoshan Huang. Huang Qiaoshan lived from 872 to 953 and claimed he was the Yellow Emperor's 128th generation descendant. Huang Moutang who was born in 1183 and was Huang Qiaoshan's 15th generation descendant is the ancestor of the Cantonese guangfu Huang clans. One of his descendants was Huang Siming from whom the Xiasha Huang descent. Huang Qiaoshan's 9th generation descendant Huang Liao was a Song official and his descendant Huang Chaoxuan during the Ming-Qing transition was the ancestor of the Longgang, Kengzi village Hakka Huang. The Huang descendants who migrated and established linages in the Song were Cantonese speakers while the Huang descendants who migrated to the coast in the Ming-Qing transition spoke Hakka.
Huang Huang is the 7th most common surname in China, and the 3rd most common surname in Taiwan. It is also one of the common surnames among Zhuang people, the largest ethnic minority in China, and is also the most common surname in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. 19% of people from China with Surname Huang live in Guangdong Province. The population of people named Huang in China was approximately 29 million and in Taiwan about 1.4 million. In 2019 Huang was again the seventh most common surname in mainland China.
A 2013 study found that it was the seventh-most common surname, shared by 32,600,000 people or 2.450% of the population, with the province having the most people being Guangdong.中国四百大姓, 袁义达, 邱家儒, Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013
Historical figures
Huang Chao 黃巢 (820–884), leader of the Huang Chao rebellion against the Tang dynasty Huang Cheng Yan 黃承彥, Eastern Han dynasty scholar Huang Dao Po 黃道婆 (1245–1330), Yuan dynasty Weaver and innovator Huang Dao Zhou 黃道週 (1585–1646), Ming dynasty calligrapher and politician named as one of the Four Lords of the Yellow Gate (黃門四君子) Huang Ding 黃鼎 (1650–1730), Qing dynasty landscape painter and poet Wong Fei Hung 黃飛鴻 (1847–1924), Martial artist, physician, acupuncturist, revolutionary, and folk hero during late Qing dynasty Wong Kim Ark 黃金德 ( – after 1931), Chinese American who was the subject of a landmark US Supreme Court citizenship case Huang Gai 黃蓋, Eastern Wu general and one of the "Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong" (江東十二虎臣) during the Three Kingdoms period Huang Gong Wang 黃公望 (1269–1345), painter and one of the "Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty" Huang Ji 黃濟, Ming dynasty imperial painter Huang Quan 黃權 (?–240), general of Shu Han and later of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period Huang Ru Heng 黃汝亨 (1558–1626), calligrapher during late Ming dynasty Huang Shen 黃慎 (1687–1772), Qing dynasty painter and artistic innovator who was one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou"