The Kong Family#

Surname: Kong, pronunciation: kōng

Distribution of the Kong Clan#

According to the book “Jun Wang Bai Jia Xing” (A Record of the Hundred Surnames from Various Regions), the Kong clan originated from Gongqiu. Gongqiu Commandery is located in the northern part of Zibo City, Shandong Province. Some sources also suggest it is situated in the southeastern part of Changle County, Shandong Province. Dunqiu Commandery, as recorded in the “Song Shu·Zhou Jun Zhi” (History of the Song Dynasty: Records of Provinces and Commanderies), belonged to Dong Commandery during the Han Dynasty, and was placed under Yangping during the Wei Dynasty. In the second year of the Taishi era of Emperor Wu of Jin, Dunqiu Commandery was established from Huaiyang County. This location corresponds to present-day Qingfeng County, Henan Province. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Dunqiu Commandery was renamed Pingchang Commandery of Xuzhou. Its territory roughly corresponds to the central part of Henan Province, with its administrative center in Dunqiu.

Origins of the Kong Surname#

The Kong surname has four possible origins:

1. It may have evolved from the Kong Sang surname. Kong Sang was an ancient place name located in the southern part of present-day Chenliu Town, Kaifeng, Henan. During the Shang Dynasty, a prominent minister named Yi Yin was born there; his son was named Kong Sang, and later his descendants adopted this name as their surname, which was eventually simplified to Kong.
2. It could have originated from the Kong Tong surname. Kong Tong, also known as Kong Tong or Kongtong, is said to have originated when a descendant of the Shang Dynasty's founding ruler was granted the fief of Kongtong, establishing the state of Kongtong. These descendants adopted the name of their state as their surname. Another theory suggests that the name came from living in the Kongtong Mountains.
3. It may have originated from the Kong Xiang surname. According to legend, this was the surname of a descendant of Wei Zi Qi, the founder of the Song state during the Zhou Dynasty. The name was later simplified to Kong.
4. It might have originated from the You Kong Hou surname, which was simply simplified from its original form.

Ancestor of the Surname The ancestor of the Kong surname is Kong Sang. The Kong clan evolved from compound surnames such as Kong Sang, Kong Tong, and Kong Xiang. Kong Sang was an ancient place name in the southern part of Chenliu Town, Kaifeng, Henan. During the Shang Dynasty, the minister Yi Yin was born there, and his son was named Kong Sang. His descendants adopted this name as their surname, which was later simplified to Kong.

Migration and Distribution The Kong surname is not among the top 100 surnames in mainland China or Taiwan. It originated from the compound surname Kong Sang. It is said that Yi Yin, a virtuous minister of the early Shang Dynasty, was born in Kong Sang (now Kaifeng, Henan, or possibly in the Qufu area of Shandong Province). His son was named Kong Sang, and some of his descendants adopted this name as their surname. Another theory suggests that the surname originated from Kong Tong (also known as Kongtong). During the Shang Dynasty, a descendant of the founding ruler of the Song state was granted the fief of Kongtong, and his descendants adopted the name of the state as their surname. The Kong clan is primarily found in the regions of Gongqiu Commandery (now in the northern part of Zibo City, Shandong Province) and Dunqiu Commandery (within present-day Henan Province).

Common Couplets for Kong Clan Ancestral Halls Here is a common couplet for Kong clan ancestral halls: “Wei Bo’s apprentice brought formidable skills; Kongtong is the true origin of this lineage.”
(The upper line refers to Kong Kong Er, a Tang Dynasty swordsman who, during the Yuanhe era, helped the military governor of Wei Bo assassinate Liu Wu. The lower line refers to one of the origins of the Kong surname, which is linked to the place name Kongtong.)