Zhuang (surname)

Zhuang is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 庄 in simplified character and 莊 in traditional character. It's usually romanized as "Chuang" in Taiwan based in Wade-Giles. It is spoken in the first tone: Zhuāng.

Zhuang / Chuang (庄/莊)
PronunciationZhuāng (Mandarin)
Chong (Cantonese)
Chng (Hokkien)
Language(s)Chinese
Origin
Language(s)Old Chinese
Other names
Variant form(s)Ch'ng, Chuang, Chong, Chng, Ching
See alsoYan (surname 嚴)

Zhuang is listed 323rd in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[1] As of 2008, it is the 113th most common surname in China, shared by 1.6 million people.[2]

Romanizations

Zhuang is romanized as Chuang in the Wade-Giles system is usually employed in Taiwan and among the Chinese diaspora. It is romanized Chong in Cantonese; Chng, Tsng, or Ching in Hokkien.

In Vietnamese, the surname formerly written as 莊 in Chữ Hán is now written Trang; in Korean, the surname formerly written as 莊 in Hanja is now written 장 and romanized as Jang; in Japanese, the surname written 荘 in Kanji is romanized Shō. In Thai, it is written as จึง (RTGS: Chueng).

Distribution

As of 2008, Zhuang is the 113th most common surname in mainland China, shared by 1.6 million people.[2] It has been ranked the 24th-most-common surname on Taiwan.[3]

Zhuang is a rather uncommon name in the United States. It was ranked 53,245th during the 1990 census and 31,703rd during the year 2000 one. Chuang is more common, having been ranked 24,816th in 1990 and 11,621st in 2000. The variant spellings Chong, Ching, and Tong are all much more common, but include other Chinese surnames as well.[4]

History

The pronunciation of 莊 has been reconstructed as *tsraŋ in Old Chinese and Tsrjang in Middle Chinese; its original meaning was "dignified" and "grave".[5]

As with many Chinese surnames, the current bearers come from a variety of origins, some legendary.

The Manuscript of the Words and Deeds of Virtuous Clans claimed that the first Zhuangs were descended from King Zhuang of Chu.[6]

Another group descended from Duke Dai of Song, who was also known as Zhuang.[6]

During the Warring States period, the general Zhuang Qiao (庄跤) of Chu attacked Shu but was blocked from returning home by Qin troops. He proclaimed himself king of Dian. A third group were the subjects of this realm.

All three groups found themselves bound to change their names to Yan (嚴) upon the ascension of the Han Ming Emperor, whose personal name was Zhuang, owing to the naming taboo.[7] Most did change back to Zhuang during the Northern and Southern dynasties era after Han dynasty but many still remain as Yan until today.

By the period of the Sixteen States, however, the Zhuangs had spread from Lianghu to other regions such as Shandong, Gansu, Zhejiang, and Fujian.[6]

Notable people with the surname

References
  1. 百家姓 [Hundred Family Surnames] (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  2. 中国最新300大姓排名（2008） [300 most common surnames in China (2008)] (in Chinese). Taiwan.cn. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  3. Yang Xuxian. 《台湾一百大姓氏》 [Taiwan's 100 'Big Families']. Op. cit. 中华百家姓-千字文-国学经典-文化经典. "中国台湾姓氏排行 [Taiwan (China) Surname Ranking]". 8 Jun 2010. Accessed 1 Apr 2012. (in Chinese)
  4. US Census Bureau. Op. cit. Public Broadcasting Service. "How Popular Is Your Last Name?" Accessed 6 Apr 2012.
  5. Baxter, Wm. H. & Sagart, Laurent. "Baxter–Sagart Old Chinese Reconstruction". Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (1.93 MB), p. 158. 2011. Accessed 11 October 2011.
  6. People's Daily Online. "Chinese Zhuang surname history". 7 Jul 2005. Accessed 16 Apr 2012.
  7. "People's Daily Online -- A history of Chinese surname Yan".
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