Yao (), also romanized as Yiu in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

, is one of the most ancient

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlik ...

s, the " Eight Great Xings of High Antiquity". It is also unique that, along with Jiang 姜 it is still in common use in the modern day. It is listed 101st in the Hundred Family Surnames, and as the 51st most common surname in

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

Alternate spellings

* Mandarin: Yao *

: Yiu * Min Nan (

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

(

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...

)/ Teochew): Lao, Lau, Yeow * Vietnamese: Diêu, Dao * Korean: Yo * Japanese: Yō *

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

: Yow, Yeo *

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

: Yeow

Prominent people

* Yao ** Yao Chonghua, the name of Emperor Shun of pre-dynastic China, one of the

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were two groups of mythological rulers in ancient north China. The Three Sovereigns supposedly lived long before The Five Emperors, who have been assigned dates in a period from 3162 BC to 2070 BC. Today t ...

. ** Yao Chang, founding emperor of the Later Qin Dynasty. ** Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, a Chinese computer scientist and A.M. Turing Award laureate. ** Jianping Yao, Canadian engineer. ** Yao Ming, a retired Chinese professional basketball player. ** Yao Wenyuan, member of the

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

. ** MC HotDog (born name as Yao Chung-jen), a Taiwanese rap artist known for his use of explicit lyrics in his songs. ** Yao Beina, a famous Chinese singer. ** Yao Chen, a famous Chinese actress. ** Yao Jen-to, Vice Chairperson and Secretary-General of Straits Exchange Foundation of the Republic of China ** Yao Leeh-ter, Political Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China (2017–2019) ** Yao Mingming, Former member of K-pop group BLK and C-pop Group UNINE **

Yao Wenlong Yao Wenlong (, born 14 November 1970) is a Singapore based Malaysian actor. Career Yao entered the local television scene after winning the Star Search 1993 (Male category) organised by then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now MediaCorp). W ...

, Malaysia born Singapore actor * Yiu ** Claire Yiu, a Hong Kong actress. ** Edward Yiu, a Hong Kong scholar and politician. ** Raymond Yiu, a Hong Kong composer. ** Yiu Cheuk Yin, a Hong Kong footballer. ** Yiu Ho Ming, a Hong Kong footballer. ** Yiu Si-wing, a Hong Kong lawmaker. * Yeow ** Yeow Chai Tiam, Malaysian politician.

References

Learning of the Chinese culture- the Yao dynasty {{surname, Yao Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames Eight Great Surnames of Chinese Antiquity