The Rao Family#

Surname: Rao, Pronunciation: Rao

Regions Where the Rao Family Is Found#

• Pingyang Commandery: Established during the Three Kingdoms period by the state of Wei, with its administrative center in Pingyang (now southwest of Linfen County, Shanxi Province).
• Linchuan Commandery: Established during the Three Kingdoms period by the state of Wu, located in the southeast of Nancheng, Jiangxi Province; during the Western Jin Dynasty, the administrative center was moved to the west of Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province.

Origins of the Rao Family#

There are many theories regarding the origin of the Rao family, and here are four main ones:

1. From the Jiang surname: The family name originated from the name of a fief granted by a ruler. According to “Xing Shu Bian Zheng”, during the Warring States period, King Daoxiang of Zhao granted the title of “Chang'an Jun” to someone from Rao (the area around present-day Raoyang, Hebei Province). The descendants of Chang'an Jun adopted the name of their ancestral fief as their family name.
2. Also from the Jiang surname: Another theory suggests that the family name came from a fief granted during the Warring States period. According to “Gujin Xing Shu Bian Zheng”, a high-ranking official from the state of Qi was granted a fief in Rao (within present-day Qingzhou, Shandong Province). His descendants took the name of the fief as their family name.
3. From the Gui surname: Descendants of Emperor Shun adopted the name of the state. Emperor Shun originally had the surname Yao, but he acquired the surname Gui due to his residence in Gui. The lineage of Emperor Shun underwent several name changes; during the Xia and Shang dynasties, they were known by other names. According to “Xing Yuan”, a descendant of Emperor Shun took the name of the tribe “Rao” as their family name.
4. From the Yao surname: Descendants of Emperor Yao, after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang Dynasty and granted fiefs to various nobles, he granted the land to the 23rd generation descendant of Emperor Yao, named “Jing” (styled Zijing), in Ji (near present-day Beijing). Jing’s son, “Li”, migrated to Pingyang, Shanxi. His descendants adopted the posthumous title of their ancestor as their family name, which became the Rao family name.

When the Qin Dynasty conquered the six states, the Yao family fled the chaos of war and dispersed throughout the country. In the 54th generation, Yao Xuan moved from Pingyang to Poyang, Jiangxi (ancient Raozhou, now part of Jiangxi), and later to Linchuan (now Fuzhou). In the 56th generation, during the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Xuan of Han (Liu Xun), who originally had the name Liu Bingyi, issued an edict requiring all people with the surname Yao to change it. Some changed their surname to “Sun”. Yao Xuan, a military officer in Jingzhao, suggested to the emperor that since Emperor Yao was one of the Five Ancient Emperors and a highly revered figure, the character “Shun” should be added to the “Yao” character to form the new surname “Rao”. Emperor Xuan agreed, and this became the official name of the Rao family.

The Rao family has a history of over 2,200 years. Their migration routes began in Raoyang, Hebei, then to Raozhou, Jiangxi, and further south to Fujian and Guangdong. Some also moved to Taiwan due to the mountainous terrain and limited arable land in South China.