The Gao Family#

Surname: Gao, pronunciation: gāo

Distribution of the Gao Family#

Hebei, the Bohai Bay region of Liaoning, Miyun in Beijing, east of the Daling River in Liaoning, Yangzhou in Jiangsu, Luoyang in Henan

Origins of the Gao Family#

The origin of the “Gao” surname can be traced to the following sources:

1. From the Jiang surname: It is said that the Yan Emperor (Shennong) was born by the Jiang River and took the Jiang surname. Bo Yi, the 17th-generation descendant of the Yan Emperor, assisted Dayu in controlling the floods and was granted the title of Marquis of Lu; his descendants also adopted the Lu surname. Jiang Shang, the 37th-generation descendant of Marquis Bo Yi, also known as Lü Shang or Lü Wang, assisted King Wen and King Wu of Zhou in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty and establishing the Zhou Dynasty, and was granted a fief in the state of Qi. Jiang Chong, the 8th-generation descendant of Marquis Jiang Shang, had his second son granted a fief in Gaoyi, who was known as Prince Gao. According to the rituals of the Zhou noble class, his descendants took the Gao surname. Prince Gao later helped establish Duke Huan of Qi.

2. From the given name of a king’s father: According to the “Tongzhi: Shizhu Lue,” the son of Duke Hui of Qi was named Prince Qi, with the given name Zigao; his descendants also took the Gao surname. Duke Hui of Qi was the son of Duke Huan of Qi and his concubine Shaowei Ji, and he ruled Qi for ten years.

3. From other clans or by changing one’s surname: The Gao surname can also result from changes in one’s clan or as a reward for serving the state.

Density of the Gao Population

The areas with the highest density of the Gao population per square kilometer include Shandong, Hebei, Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, eastern Hubei, western Gansu, the three northeastern provinces, and eastern Inner Mongolia, where the Gao population exceeds 2.7 people per square kilometer. The highest density (over 27,000 people per square kilometer) is found in central Shandong, where the Gao population is approximately 6.4 million. The distribution of the Gao surname shows that:

• Areas with the highest density account for 18.1% of the country’s total area, with a Gao population of about 6.41 million.
• Areas with a population of 900–2,700 people per square kilometer account for 42.2% of the country’s total area, with a Gao population of about 7.19 million.
• Areas with a population of less than 900 people per square kilometer account for 39.7% of the country’s total area, with a Gao population of about 920,000.

The distribution of the Gao surname is widespread but uneven. It is relatively common in North China, the northeastern, and northwestern regions, where it typically accounts for more than 1.2% of the local population. In areas such as the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, central Shandong, northern Shaanxi and Shanxi, and northeastern Heilongjiang, the proportion is even higher, reaching over 1.8%, covering approximately 29.2% of the country’s total area. In other regions, the frequency of the Gao surname is between 0.6% and 1.2%, covering about 30.5% of the country’s total area.

Notable People with the Gao Surname

• Gao Changgong: Also known as Gao Xiaoxiao, he was a brave and skilled warrior who often defeated enemy armies. He was a prominent general of the Northern Qi dynasty and a descendant of Gao Huan, the founder of the Northern Qi dynasty and a great statesman. He was the fourth son of Emperor Wuxiang of Northern Qi and was granted the title of Prince of Lanling.
• Gao Shi: A poet of the Tang dynasty, he was renowned alongside Cen Shen and together they were called “Gao and Cen.” His poems about the border regions depict the scenery, the lives of soldiers, and the hardships of the people. One of his famous works is “Yan Ge Xing.”
• Gao E: A literary figure of the Qing dynasty, he was from the Han army and continued the writing of “Dream of the Red Chamber” with the additional forty chapters.
• Gao Kegong: A painter of the Yuan dynasty, his courtesy name was Yanjing, and his ancestral home was Datong (now in Shanxi Province). He lived in Yanjing (now Beijing) and later in Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province). His famous paintings include “Yun Heng Xiu Ling” and “Mo Zhu Shi Po.”
• Gao Fenghan: A painter from Jiaozhou (now in Shandong) during the Qing dynasty; he authored works such as “Hu Hai Ji,” “Nan Fu Ji,” and “Gui Yun Ji.”