Liang () is an
East Asian
East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
surname of
Chinese origin. The surname is often transliterated as Leung (in Hong Kong) or Leong (in Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines) according to its
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
and
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...
pronunciation, Neo / Lio / Niu (
Hokkien
Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...
,
Teochew,
Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
), or Liong (
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...
). In Indonesia, it is known as Liong or Nio. It is also
common in Korea, where it is written Yang () or Ryang (). In
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, it is pronounced as Lương.
It is listed 128th in the classic text
Hundred Family Surnames
The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...
. In 2019 it was the 22nd most common surname in Mainland China. In comparison, it is the 7th most common surname in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, where it is usually written Leung or Leong.
History
During the reign of the Zhou dynasty
King Xuan of Zhou
__NOTOC__
King Xuan of Zhou, personal name Ji Jing, was king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty; his reign has been reconstructed to be 827/25782 BC. He worked to restore royal authority after the Gonghe Regency. He fought the "Western Barbarians" ...
(827–782 BC), Qin Zhong set out on an expedition to subdue the peoples to the west in Central Asia. After Qin Zhong died, the King divided the area of Shang among them, the second son of Qin Zhong received the area around
Liangshan County
Liangshan County () is a county situated in the southwest of Shandong province, China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city of Jining.
Geography
Liangshan County is situated north west of Jining in the south west of Shandong provinc ...
, from which his descendants developed the surname Liang.
[https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=liang, retrieved 31 Jan 2020 ]
Notable people with the surname Liang
Australia/New Zealand
*
Lawrence Leung, Australian comedian, writer and director
*
Jade Leung (engineer)
Jade Leung is the Chief Technology Officer of the United Kingdom's AI Safety Institute, where she designs and oversees safety evaluations for frontier AI models.
Until October 2023, she was Governance Lead at OpenAI, focusing on the safe deve ...
, researcher and engineer working in the United Kingdom
*
Roseanne Liang, Chinese-New Zealand film director
Canada
*
Kerson Leong, Canadian violinist
*
Stephen Wing Hong Leung, Chinese-Canadian bishop of the Anglican Network in Canada
Greater China
*
Alan Leong (), Senior Counsel and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
*
Andrew Leung, President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
*
Antony Leung, banker and former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong
*
Bryan Leung, Hong Kong martial arts actor and director
*
Liang Chen, Chinese professional tennis player
*
Liang Cheng
Liang Cheng (November 30, 1864 – February 3, 1917), courtesy name Liang Chentung, also known as Liang Pi Yuk, and later as Chentung Liang Cheng, was a Chinese ambassador to the United States during the Qing dynasty. He was primarily respons ...
, Qing dynasty ambassador to the United States
*
Christine Liang
Christine Liang is a Taiwanese-American businesswoman. She is the president and founder of ASI Corp., a Fremont, California-based wholesale distributor of computer software, hardware, and accessories.
Biography
Born Christine Chu, she attended D ...
, Taiwanese-born president and founder of ASI Corp., Fremont, California
*
CY Leung
Leung Chun-ying ( zh, t=梁振英; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Confe ...
, third Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
*
Edmond Leung
Edmond Leung Hon-man (; born 5 November 1971) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, record producer, actor and television host.
Background
Born in British Hong Kong on 5 November 1971, he was a youth development footballer and coach until 17. At a ...
(), Hong Kong singer, actor, a quarter of Big Four and a finalist of the 8th annual New Talent Singing Awards
*
Edwin Leong
Edwin Leong Siu-hung ( zh, 梁紹鴻; born 1951/1952) is a Hong Kong billionaire businessman. He is a property investor, and his main company is Tai Hung Fai Enterprise, which he founded in 1977.
As of March 2022, his net worth is estimated at ...
, Hong Kong billionaire businessman
*
Elsie Leung, solicitor and former Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong
*
Gigi Leung, Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress
*
Liang Heng, Chinese ex-pat writer and scholar
*
Isabella Leong, Hong Kong–based Macanese actress and former singer
*
Jingjing Liang, Chinese forest ecologist and academic
*
Leung Jan, Wing Chun practitioner and Chinese herbal doctor from Foshan
*
Leung Kwok-hung, Hong Kong activist, politician and Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
*
Liang Guanglie, Minister of National Defense in the People's Republic of China and serves as a general in the People's Liberation Army of China
*
Liang Qichao, Chinese scholar, philosopher, journalist and reformist
*
Liang Shih-Chiu (1903–1987), Chinese educator, writer, translator, literary theorist and lexicographer
*
Steve Leung, architect, interior and product designer, and restaurateur born in Hong Kong
*
Liang Wenbo, snooker player
*
Liang Wengen, founder and main shareholder of Sany Group, one of the wealthiest men in China
*
Toby Leung
Toby Leung Ching-kei ( zh, 梁靖琪; born 27 February 1983) is Cantopop singer and actress from Hong Kong. She entered the music industry in 2004 when the MusicNationGroup discovered her talent. Together with Macy Chan, Elise Liu (廖雋嘉) ...
, Hong Kong television actress
*
Tony Leung (Leung Chiu Wai), Hong Kong actor and singer
*
Tony Leung (Leung Ka Fai), Hong Kong actor
*
Liang Xiaosheng, Chinese novelist and screenwriter
*
Liang Weicong, Chinese para-cyclist
*
Liang Xueming, Chinese footballer
*
Liang Xueqing, Chinese painter, magazine editor
India
*
Lawrence Liang, Indian legal researcher and lawyer
Indonesia/Malaysia
*
Nio Joe Lan, Indonesian historian
*
Elyn Leong, Malaysian social media influencer and member of multi-national girl group
Gen1es
*
Fish Leong, Malaysian-born Mandopop singer
Philippines
*
Ronnie Liang, Filipino singer
*
Francisco Tongio Liongson, Early Filipino politician
*
Pedro Tongio Liongson, Early Filipino politician
*
Francisco Alonso Liongson, Filipino playwright
Singapore
*
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean filmmaker, comedian and actor who was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. He established a unique presence with his genuine and relatable stories that highlight societa ...
(), film director
*
Lily Neo, Singapore politician
*
Neo Ao Tiew, businessman, philanthropist and sheriff
*
Neo Beng Siang, professional basketball coach from Singapore
United Kingdom
*
Katie Leung, Scottish film, television and stage actress
United States
*
Awonder Liang (born 2003), American chess Grandmaster
*
Edwaard Liang, Taiwanese-born American choreographer, ballet dancer
*
Ken Leung, American film and television actor
*
Lei Liang, Chinese-born American composer
*
Liang May Seen, first Chinese woman to live in Minnesota, community leader in Minneapolis
*
Martin Leung, American pianist
*
Matthew H. Liang, American physician scientist
*
Sandy Liang, American fashion designer
Vietnam
*
Lương Thế Vinh, Vietnamese scholar and mathematician
*
Lương Kim Định (1914–1997), Vietnamese catholic priest, scholar and philosopher
*
Lương Bích Hữu, Vietnamese singer
See also
*
Yang (Korean surname), notable Korean people with the last name Yang.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang (Surname)
Chinese-language surnames
Individual Chinese surnames