The Tang Surname#

Surname: Tang, Pronunciation: táng

Regions Where the Tang Surname Is Found#

• Jinchang Commandery: Established during the Yonghe period of the Jin Dynasty, with its administrative center in Changle (now Shiquan County, Shaanxi Province). The ancestral founder of this branch of the Tang family was Tang Yun, a general from the Former Liang state during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.
• Beihai Commandery: Established during the Han Dynasty from the Qizhi Commandery, with its administrative center in Yingling (southeast of Changle, Shandong Province).
• Lu State: Reorganized from the Xue Commandery in the early Western Han Dynasty, with its administrative center in Luxian (now Qufu, Shandong Province). It was later renamed during the Jin Dynasty.
• Jinyang County: Established during the Qin Dynasty, with its administrative center in the ancient city of Jinyang. It was the capital of the Taiyuan Commandery during the Qin and Han dynasties and later the capital of the Bingzhou region during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Origin of the Tang Surname#

The Tang surname originates in China and ranks 64th in the traditional list of Chinese surnames, "Bai Jia Xing" (Hundred Family Surnames).

Origins of the "Tang" Surname:

1. Derived from the "Qi" Surname: Some Tang families trace their ancestry back to the "Qi" surname, which was later adopted as a surname based on the name of a state. According to "Tong Zhi·Shi Zhu Lue·Yi Guo Wei Shi," the Tang surname is a branch of the Qi surname, also known as Yiqi. During the early reign of Emperor Yao, a nobleman named Tang was granted the title of Marquis of Tang, and his fief was located in Tang County, Zhongshan. Later, Emperor Shun granted the title of Marquis of Tang to Yao's son, Danzhu. During the Xia Dynasty, Danzhu's descendant, Liulei, moved to Luxian. In the Zhou Dynasty, Danzhu's descendants were granted the title of Duke of Tang. When King Cheng of Zhou conquered the Tang state, he granted the territory to his uncle, Shuyu, who was known as Duke Shu of Tang. Later, the Duke of Tang was relocated to Du, and his title was reduced to that of a Bo (a lower-ranking noble). This area is now known as Ducheng in Chang'an. Therefore, the Tang surname is considered a descendant of Emperor Yao.
2. From the Qiang Tribes of Longxi: According to "San Guo Zhi·Guo Huai Zhuan," the Qiang tribes of Longxi also have the Tang surname.

Population Distribution and Growth:

The current population of people with the Tang surname exceeds 7.8 million, making it the 25th most common surname in China, accounting for approximately 0.62% of the national population. In the 600 years from the Ming Dynasty to the present, the Tang surname population has increased from 510,000 to over 7.8 million, a 15-fold increase, with a growth rate faster than the national population growth rate. The distribution of the Tang surname is primarily concentrated in Hunan and Sichuan provinces, accounting for about 35% of the total Tang population. Other significant populations are found in Anhui, Chongqing, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Guizhou, and Yunnan, which together account for another 34%. Hunan is the province with the largest Tang population, accounting for 18% of the total. The Tang surname has formed two major regions with high prevalence: the areas around Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing, as well as Anhui and Jiangsu.

Changes in Population Movement:

Over the past 600 years, the pattern of Tang surname migration has changed significantly compared to the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The main direction of migration has shifted from the east to central and northern China, with fewer people moving from the north to the southeast. The current migration trend is more towards the southwest and south. Statistical data shows that in regions such as Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, northern Guangdong, western Jiangxi, southwestern Hubei, the proportion of people with the Tang surname exceeds 1.14% of the local population, and in some central areas, it can reach over 3%. These areas cover only 14.4% of the total national territory but account for approximately 51% of the Tang population. In other regions, such as western Sichuan, Hainan, most of Guangdong, parts of Hubei and Jiangsu, Shanghai, northern Zhejiang, eastern Shandong, southern Henan, southern Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, eastern Qinghai, and the northeastern corner of Inner Mongolia, the proportion of people with the Tang surname ranges from 0.38% to 1.14%, covering 23.7% of the national territory and accounting for about 34% of the Tang population.

Hall Names (Tanghao):

During the Han Dynasty, Fei Xun, the magistrate of Xiaoxian, was known for his love for his people. He focused on education before imposing punishments, and within nine years of his tenure, local bad customs were transformed, resulting in no legal disputes in the entire county for three years. When a locust plague struck the neighboring Peixian county, the locusts did not enter Xiaoxian. For this, the emperor appointed Fei Xun as the prime minister of the Liang state. Other hall names associated with the Tang surname include "Jinyang," "Jinchang," and "Beihai."

Notable People with the Tang Surname:

• Tang Bing: Known as Dongyuan Gong, a hermit during the late Qin and early Han dynasties and one of the "Four Sages of Shangshan."
• Tang Yuzhi: A leader of a peasant uprising in the Southern Song Dynasty who captured Qiantang (now Hangzhou) and declared himself emperor, establishing the Wu state.
• Tang Yin: A painter, writer, and calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, one of the "Four Talents of Wuzhong" and one of the "Four Great Masters of the Ming Dynasty."