"Guo", written in Chinese:

郭 "Guo", written in Chinese: 郭, is one of the most common Chinese surnames and means "the wall that surrounds a city" in Chinese. It can also be transliterated into English as Cok, Gou, Quo, Quach, Quek, Que, Keh, Kuo, Kwo, Kuoch, Kok, Koc, ...

, is one of the most common Chinese surnames and means "the wall that surrounds a city" in Chinese. It can also be transliterated into English as Cok, Gou, Quo, Quach, Quek, Que, Keh, Kuo, Kwo, Kuoch, Kok, Koc, Kwee, Kwek, Kwik, Kwok, Kuok, Kuek, Gock, Koay, or Ker. The Korean equivalent is spelled Kwak; the Vietnamese equivalent is Quach. The different ways of spelling this surname indicate the origin of the family. For example, the Cantonese "Kwok" originated in Hong Kong and the surrounding area. It is the 18th most common family name in China and can be traced as far back as the

Xia Dynasty The Xia dynasty () is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, the Xia dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great, after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors, gave the throne to him. In tradi ...

. There are eight legendary origins of the Guo surname, which include a Persian ( Hui) origin, a Korean origin, and a Mongolian origin, as a result of

sinicization Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...

. However, the majority of people bearing the surname Guo are descended from the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...

. In 2019, Guo was the 16th common surname in Mainland China.

Origins

Royal Ancestors

Legend has it that the Guo family is descended from

Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch or by his Chinese name Huangdi (), is a deity ('' shen'') in Chinese religion, one of the legendary Chinese sovereigns and culture heroes included among the mytho-historical Three Sovereig ...

( 黃帝), who is traditionally said to have ruled China around 2697–2597 or 2698–2598 BC. Yellow Emperor had 25 sons, 14 of which were offered by Yellow Emperor with 12 names. The first son of Yellow Emperor was

Shaohao Shaohao or Shao Hao ( "Lesser Brightness"), also known Jin Tian (金天), was a legendary Chinese sovereign. Shaohao is usually identified as a son of the Yellow Emperor. According to some traditions (for example the ''Book of Documents''), he is ...

, bearing the surname

Jī ''Jī'' () was the ancestral name of the Zhou dynasty which ruled China between the 11th and 3rd centuries BC. Thirty-nine members of the family ruled China during this period while many others ruled as local lords, lords who eventually gained ...

(姬) .

begot Qiaoji ( 蟜極). Qiaoji begot

Emperor Ku Kù (, variant graph ), usually referred to as Dì Kù (), also known as Gaoxin or Gāoxīn Shì () or Qūn (), was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. He went by the name Gaoxin until receiving imperial authority, when he took the name Ku and th ...

begot

Hou Ji Hou Ji (or Houji; ) was a legendary Chinese culture hero credited with introducing millet to humanity during the time of the Xia dynasty.. Millet was the original staple grain of northern China, prior to the introduction of wheat. His name transl ...

was the founder of Zhou kingdom in northwestern China.

begot Buzhu. Buzhu begot Ji Ju. Ji Ju begot Gong Liu. Gong Liu begot Qingjie. After nine generations following Qingjie, their descendant King Ji of Zhou became the king of Zhou.

Primogenitor

The surname of Guō descended from Prince Guo Shu ( 虢叔), the 3rd son of King Ji of Zhou. The character guó ( 虢, /*kʷraːɡ/) is rare in Chinese, and means "to hunt and flay a tiger", indicating that Guo Shu was a brave warrior. During the war unifying China,

King Wen of Zhou King Wen of Zhou (; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was Count of Zhou during the late Shang dynasty in ancient China. Although frequently confused with his fourth son Duke of Zhou, also known as "Lord Zhou", they are different historical perso ...

always consulted his two younger brothers Guo Zhong (half brother) and Guo Shu (full brother). After establishing

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name wa ...

feoffed his uncle and mentor Guo Shu to the Western Guo (西虢) around 1054 b.c. Guo Shu was named the Duke of Guo (虢公) or with same pronunciation the Duke of Guo (郭公) since after. Guo Shu is regarded by Guo's clan as their

primogenitor In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eine ...

. In 658 B.C., Western Guo was extinguished and annexed by State of Jin. The descendants of the Guo's clan were exiled and populated to Jinyang (nowadays

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province ...

) and formally adopted the name Guo.

Guo Ting

Guo Ting (郭亭), died 178 B.C., a local usher (連敖), took part in the Great Insurrection against the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

and joined the army of Emperor Liu Bang. He was feoffed at Renqiu and conferred

Marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

of A Ling (阿陵侯) in July 201 B.C. after the establishment of

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

. Guo's clan lost their noble title since 7th century B.C. After almost five centuries, Guo Ting was the first one to acquire a noble title again. Since then, talented Guos began to be active in Chinese history continuously towards the climax of the glory of Guo Ziyi some 800 years later. Guo Ting begot Guo Ke. Guo Ke begot Guo Ou. Guo Ou begot Guo Guangyi. Guo Guangyi begot Guo Yan (

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

: Mengru). Mengru moved his family from

to the Huazhou District.

Guo Ziyi

About 700 years after Mengru moved to Huazhou District, Guo Ziyi stepped up to the stage of history. Guo Ziyi (Sep.5, 698 AD - Jul.9, 781 AD). Prince Zhōngwǔ of Fényáng (汾陽忠武王), was the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

general who wiped out the

An Lushan Rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general off ...

and participated in expeditions against the

Uyghur Khaganate The Uyghur Khaganate (also Uyghur Empire or Uighur Khaganate, self defined as Toquz-Oghuz country; otk, 𐱃𐰆𐰴𐰕:𐰆𐰍𐰕:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, Toquz Oγuz budun, Tang-era names, with modern Hanyu Pinyin: or ) was a Turkic empire that e ...

and

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the ...

. He was regarded as one of the most powerful Tang generals before and after the Anshi Rebellion. After his death, he was deified in

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be fill ...

as the God of Wealth and Happiness (Lu Star of Fu Lu Shou). Guo Ziyi was one of the most successful and satisfactory officials in China history. His achievements went far beyond Guo Shu and Guo Ting. He had eight brothers and eight sons and eight son-in-laws. Four of his sons conferred

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

s and five of his sons and grandsons became Fuma( damat). All his son-in-laws were top brass of the country. one of his granddaughter became the

Empress Dowager Guo (Tang dynasty) Empress Dowager Guo (郭太后, personal name unknown) (died June 25, 848Volume 248 of the '' Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Lady Guo died on the ''jimao'' day of the 5th month of the 2nd year of the Dazhong era of Tang Xuānzong's reign. This cor ...

. His descendants spread all over Northern China. Most of genealogy book of Guo's family over China record him as their first ancestor.

Hui surname

One of the Guo family is from Hui clans around Quanzhou in

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 c ...

. Early in the 14th century, a Persian Al-Qudsan Al-Dhaghan Nam (伊本·庫斯·德廣貢·納姆) was sent to Quanzhou by Külüg Khan for assisting grain transportation by sea. He failed to return to Khanbaliq due to war, then got married and settled at Quanzhou. Because his Persian surname Dhaghan pronounces similar to Chinese Guo, Al-Qudsan Al-Dhaghan Nam's grandsons began to change their surname to Guo in order to assimilate with local

. It was politically expedient to claim they were descendants of Guo Ziyi in order to be better accommodated by Local people and later

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

government. After Haijin policy applied and the Portuguese began to dominate the China-Middle East maritime trade, they were more localized and recognized as descendants as Guo Ziyi by themselves and by local people. Due to more people of these clans identifying as Hui the population of Hui as grown. All these clans needed was evidence of ancestry from Arab, Persian, or other Muslim ancestors to be recognized as Hui, and they did not need to practice Islam. The Communist party and its policies encouraged the definition of Hui as a nationality or ethnicity. The Chinese government's Historic Artifacts Bureau preserved tombs of Arabs and Persians whom Hui are descended from around Quanzhou. Many of these Hui worship their village guardian deities and are non-muslims; they include

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and g ...

, Taoists, followers of Chinese Folk Religions, secularists, and Christians. Many clans with thousands of members in numerous villages across Fujian recorded their genealogies and had Muslim ancestry. Hui clans originating in Fujian have a strong sense of unity among their members, despite being scattered across a wide area in Asia, such as Fujian, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Philippines. In Taiwan there are also descendants of Hui who came with

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

who no longer observe Islam, the Taiwan branch of the Guo (romanized as Kuo in Taiwan) family are non-muslims, but maintain a tradition of not offering pork at ancestral shrines. The Chinese Muslim Association counts these people as Muslims. The Taiwanese Guo clan view their Hui identity as irrelevant and don't assert that they are Hui. Various different accounts are given as to whom the Hui Guo clan is descended from. Several of the Guo claimed descent from

Han chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...

General Guo Ziyi. They were then distressed and disturbed at the fact that their claim of descent from Guo Ziyi contradicted their being Hui, which required foreign ancestry. While the Encyclopædia Iranica claims the ancestor of the Guo clan in Baiqi was the Persian Ebn Tur (Daqqaq).

Notable people

Historical

* Guo Chongtao, General of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Tang (and Later Tang's predecessor state Jin). *

Guo Chun Guo Chun (; 1370–1444), was an imperial Chinese painter in the early Ming Dynasty. Guo was born in Yongjia in Zhejiang province. His original given name was Wentong (文通), but this was changed to Chun (純) by the Yongle Emperor. From t ...

, painter during the Early Ming Dynasty * Guo Chuwang, patriot at the end of the Song Dynasty * Guo Daiju, Official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty * Guo Huai, Military General of Cao Wei * Guo Jia, Official and Adviser under Warlord Cao Cao *

Guo Kan Guo Kan (, 1217–1277 AD) was a Chinese general who served the Mongol Empire in their conquest of China and the West. He descended from a lineage of Chinese generals. Both his father and grandfather served under Genghis Khan, while his forefathe ...

, a famed Chinese general that served under the Mongols * Guo Nuwang, First Empress of Cao Wei * Guo Pu, writer and scholar of the Eastern Jin * Guo Rong, Second Emperor of Later Zhou also known as Chai Rong * Guo Shengtong, First Empress of Emperor Guangwu * Guo Shoujing, astronomer, engineer, and mathematician who lived during the Yuan Dynasty * Guo Si, General who serve under Warlord Dong Zhuo during the Late Han Dynasty * Guo Tu, adviser under Warlord Yuan Shao * Guo Wei, Founding Emperor of Later Zhou * Guo Xi, Chinese Painter of the Song Dynasty * Guo Xiang Taoist of the Early Jin Dynasty * Guo Xun, General of The Han Dynasty * Guo Yuanzhen, General Official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty * Guo Zhengyi, Official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty * Guo Zhongshu, painter and scholar during the Song Dynasty * Guo Ziyi, (697 – 781), general of Tang China who ended the Anshi Rebellion

Modern

* Terry Gou (郭台銘, born 1950), Taiwanese billionaire, founder and chairman of Foxconn * Guo Ailun (born 1993), Chinese basketball player * Guo Guangchang (born 1967), Chinese billionaire, founder and chairman of Fosun International * Guo Jingjing (born 1981), Chinese Olympic diver * Guo Jingming (born 1983), Chinese author and pop idol *

Guo Moruo Guo Moruo (; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official. Biography Family history Guo Moruo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November ...

(1892–1978), Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist and government official * Guo Qi (born 1995), Chinese chess player *

Guo Songtao Guo Songtao ( zh, 郭嵩燾, s=郭嵩焘, p=Guō Sōngtāo, w=Kuo Sung-t’ao; 11 April 1818 – 18 July 1891) was a Chinese diplomat and statesman during the Qing dynasty. He was among the first foreign emissaries to be sent abroad by the Qin ...

(1818–1891), Chinese diplomat and statesman during the Qing dynasty *

Guo Wengui Guo Wengui (; born May 10, 1970—self claim or October 5, 1968), also known under the names Guo Haoyun (), Miles Guo, and Miles Kwok, is an exiled Chinese billionaire businessman who became a political activist and controls Beijing Zenith Hold ...

(born 1967), Chinese billionaire businessman and political activist * Guo Wenli (born 1989), Chinese curler * Guo Xinwa (born 2000), Chinese badminton player *

Guo Ying Guo Ying (born 7 October 1991), better known by her stage name Yamy, is a Chinese singer, rapper and dancer under JC Universe Entertainment. She was the leader of the Chinese girl group Rocket Girls 101. Personal life Guo Ying was born in Q ...

(born 1991), Chinese singer and rapper, member of girl group Rocket Girls 101 * Guo Yonghuai (1909–1968), aerodynamics expert and a leader of China's atomic and hydrogen bomb projects *

Tina Guo Tina Guo () (born 28 October 1985) is a Chinese-born American cellist and erhuist from San Diego. Her international career as a cellist, electric cellist, erhuist, and composer is characterized by videos featuring theatrical backdrops and elabora ...

(born 1985), Chinese-American cellist and erhuist * Xiaolu Guo (born 1973), Chinese-British novelist and filmmaker * Hean Tat Keh, Professor of Marketing at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

* Teresa Kok (born 1964), Malaysian politician * Kuo Fang-yu (born 1952), Minister of Labor of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northea ...

(2016–2017) * Kuo Hsing-chun (born 1993), Taiwanese Olympic weightlifter * Kuo Kuo-wen (born 1967), Deputy Minister of Labor of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Kuo Ping-Wen (1880–1969), Chinese educator * Robert Kuok (born 1923), Malaysian born Chinese, Hong Kong billionaire, chairman of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts * Kwik Kian Gie (born 1935), Indonesian politicians * Kwek Leng Beng (born 1940), Singaporean billionaire, executive chairman of Hong Leong Group Singapore * Sherman Kwek (born 1975/76), Singaporean businessman, son of Kwek Leng Beng * Kwok Wing-kin (born 1986), Hong Kong politician, leader of the Labour Party * Aaron Kwok (born 1965), Hong Kong singer, dancer, and actor * Kenix Kwok (born 1969), Hong Kong actress * Sonija Kwok (born 1974), Hong Kong actress * Roger Kwok (born 1964), Hong Kong actor *

Walter Kwok Walter Kwok Ping-sheung JP (; Cantonese pronunciation: ; 1950 – 20 October 2018) was a Hong Kong real estate developer. He was the eldest son of Kwok Tak-seng, founder of Sun Hung Kai Properties, and his wife Kwong Siu-hing. Following th ...

(born 1950), Hong Kong billionaire, former CEO of Sun Hung Kai Properties *

Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the '' Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army M ...

(1930–2016), British actor * Phyllis Quek (born 1973),

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n based in

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, borde ...

actress * Sam Quek (born 1988), British field hockey player and gold medal winner at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics * Quek Leng Chan (born 1941),

n billionaire, co-founder of Hong Leong Group Malaysia * Keh Chin Ann (郭振安; born 1974, disappeared in 1986), a twelve-year-old schoolboy who went missing in Singapore *

Quek Kee Siong On the morning of 25 November 1977, ten-year-old schoolgirl Cheng Geok Ha (; – 25 November 1977) was last seen playing with her two friends at the carpark below her flat at Chai Chee, Singapore. According to the pair who were last with Cheng ...

郭祺祥, a child rapist and murderer in Singapore

Fictional people

* Guo Jing, protagonist in '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes''

References

{{surname, Guo Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames