The Huang Surname#

Surname: Huang, pronunciation: huáng

Regions where the Huang Surname is found#

Jiangxia County, Hubei; Xiluyang County (?); Anding County, Ningxia; Fangling County, Hubei; Handong County, Hubei; Shanggu County, Hebei; Jiao County, Anhui.

Origins of the Huang Surname#

The Huang surname is the seventh most common surname in mainland China and the third most common on Taiwan. It ranks 96th in the “Hundred Family Surnames” tradition.

Origins of the “Huang” Surname:

There are five main origins of the Huang surname:

1. Derived from the Ying surname, descendants of Lu Zhong. It is said that during the time of Bo Yi, a tribal leader, a descendant of Lu Zhong, a great-grandson of Zhuanxu, established the state of Huang in present-day Huangchuan, Henan, at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. The state was conquered by the Chu Dynasty in 648 BCE, and its people adopted the name of their state as their surname. This branch of the Huang family became the main source of the Huang surname and is considered the authentic Huang lineage, originating from Henan.

2. Also derived from the Ying surname, descendants of Tai Di, a descendant of Shao Hao of the Jintian clan. Tai Di was granted a fief in Fenchuan during the time of Zhuanxu. His descendants established several states, including Shen, Si, Ru, and Huang, during the Spring and Autumn period. After the state of Huang was conquered by the Jin Dynasty, they adopted the name of their state as their surname. This branch of the Huang family is mainly found in present-day Shanxi.

3. The surname was granted as an honor. It is said that Shi Gong, in the 13th generation, was granted the surname Huang for his services to the Zhou Dynasty. After scattered, they reunified in Jiangxia, Wu Chang, and adopted Huang as their surname.

4. Some surnames were changed to Huang for various reasons. In ancient times, the characters for “Huang” and “Wang” had the same pronunciation, so some people with the Wang surname changed it to Huang. Other examples include people with the Lu, Wu, and Jin surnames changing to Huang.

5. Derived from the surnames of ancient southern ethnic minorities. Minorities such as the Wulingxi, Dong, and Zhuang peoples also had the Huang surname. They were descendants of the remnants of the state of Huang who migrated south during the Warring States period and settled in the southern regions of China.

Migration and Distribution

The earliest homeland of the Huang surname was in the western part of present-day Huangchuan County, Henan Province. After the state of Huang was conquered by the Chu Dynasty, the Huang people dispersed. Some moved to present-day Jiangling and Jingzhou, forming the famous Jiangling Huang lineage during the Qin Dynasty; others moved to Anlu in Jiangxia (southeast of present-day Yunmeng County, Hubei), becoming the famous Jiangxia Huang lineage during the Han Dynasty. By the Qin and Han dynasties, the Huang surname was prominent in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as in Henan and Anhui. A large-scale migration of the Huang surname south began at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, and by the Song Dynasty, it had spread throughout the country, with the largest concentration in the southern regions.

Famous People with the Huang Surname**#

• Huang Chao: (820–884) From Caozhou, Tang Dynasty. A salt merchant who accumulated wealth and gathered followers, especially those in exile. Due to the extravagant lifestyle of the royal family, heavy taxes, and frequent floods and droughts, the people suffered greatly, leading to widespread banditry. In the first year of the Qianfu era of Emperor Xizong of Tang (874 CE), Wang Xianzhi led a rebellion, and the following year Huang Chao joined the uprising. After Wang Xianzhi’s defeat in 875 CE, Huang Chao was proclaimed General Chongtian and led his troops to raid various regions. In 880 CE, he captured Luoyang and Chang’an, proclaiming himself emperor and establishing the state of Da Qi. The Tang Dynasty used official positions to recruit Li Keyong to help defeat Huang Chao, who eventually committed suicide, ending the ten-year Huang Chao Rebellion.

• Huang Tingjian: (1045–1105) Also known as Lu Zhi and Foweng, from Fenning, Jiangxi. A renowned poet and the founder of the Jiangxi poetry school, skilled in regular and cursive script. He authored several collections of poetry.

• Huang Daopo: (1245–1330) A female textile expert during the Yuan Dynasty who contributed to the advancement of cotton textile technology, making the fine fabrics of Songjiang famous throughout China. She was honored with a temple dedicated to her achievements.

• Huang Xing: (October 25, 1874 – October 31, 1916) Of Han ethnicity, originally named Zhen, later changed his name to Xing, with the courtesy names Keqiang and Jingwu. A modern democratic revolutionary and one of the founders of the Republic of China.

• Huang Yanpei: (October 1, 1878 – December 21, 1965) From Chuansha County, Jiangsu Province. A prominent patriot, democratic revolutionary, and political activist in modern China.