Xiao (; ) is a Chinese-language surname. In the Wade-Giles system of

romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...

, it is rendered as Hsiao, which is commonly used in Taiwan. It is also romanized as Siauw, Shiao, Siaw, Siew, Siow, Seow, Siu, Shiu or Sui, as well as Shaw among

overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese people are Chinese people, people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 milli ...

communities. It is the 99th name on the ''

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 ...

'' poem.K. S. Tom.

989 Year 989 ( CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to help him defeat Bardas Phokas (the Younger), who suffe ...

(1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom.

University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. . After the demise of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, some of the descendants of Manchu clan

Šumuru Šumuru (Manchu language, Manchu: ; zh, c=舒穆祿氏) was one of the eight great clans of Manchu nobility (满清八大姓). After the Imperial Edict of the Abdication of the Qing Emperor, demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants sinic ...

sinicized their clan name to the

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

s '' Shu'' (舒), '' Xu'' (徐) or ''Xiao'' (蕭). A 1977 study found that it was the 20th most common

in the world. It is said to be the 30th most common in China.Origin of Xiao, Siu, Siew, Seow, Hsiao
yutopian.com. Retrieved 2009-09-23. In 2019 it was the 33rd most common surname in Mainland China.

History

Han Chinese surname

The Xiao surname originated from

Xiao County Xiao County or Xiaoxian () is a county in the north of Anhui Province, China, bordering the provinces of Jiangsu to the north and northeast and Henan to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Suzhou. It was former ...

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

province, China. In the

state of Song Song was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty with its capital at Shangqiu. The state was founded soon after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered by the state of ...

during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

of ancient China, the nobleman Daxin ( 蕭叔大心) was enfeoffed at Xiao, which became an attached state of Song. The people of Xiao later adopted the name of their state as their surname. Centuries later,

Xiao He Xiao He (257 BC – 16 August 193 BC''xinwei'' day of the 7th month of the 2nd year of Emperor Hui's reign, per vol. 12 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'') was a Chinese calligrapher and politician of the early Western Han dynasty. He served Emperor Gaozu of ...

was the first prime minister of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. Later on, his descendant Xiao Biao (萧彪) moved to Lanling (兰陵), now Yicheng in

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

province, due to political problems during the reign of

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), born Liu Che and courtesy name Tong, was the seventh Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years – a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi ...

. The Xiao people therefore also trace their origin to Lanling, and sometimes they are called Lanling Xiao (“兰陵萧”). Another mass movement of Xiao people came during the

Disaster of Yongjia The Disaster of Yongjia (simplified Chinese: 永嘉之乱; traditional Chinese: 永嘉之亂) occurred in 311 CE, when forces of the Han-Zhao dynasty captured and sacked Luoyang, the capital of the Western Jin dynasty. The Han's army committed a m ...

at the end of the

Western Jin dynasty Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, when Xiao Zheng (萧整) moved to

Danyang, Jiangsu Danyang () is a county-level city located on the southwest (right) bank of the Yangtze River, and is under the administration of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, China. It is noted for the production of optical lenses used in sunglasses and eyeglasses. ...

. It was also called South Lanling (南兰陵). The descendants of Danyang Xiao (丹阳萧氏) later founded two dynasties:

Xiao Daocheng Emperor Gao of Southern Qi ((南)齊高帝; 427– 11 April 482According to Xiao Daocheng's biography in ''Book of Southern Qi'', he died aged 56 (by East Asian reckoning) on the ''renxu'' day of the 3rd month of the 4th year of the ''Jianyuan'' e ...

was the founding emperor of the

Southern Qi dynasty Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succeeded ...

, and Xiao Yan founded the

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () or Xiao Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was pre ...

. During the

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

, there were nine Xiao family members appointed as

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

s (or prime ministers), the continuous eight chancellors (八叶传芳, "八叶世家"). The first was

Xiao Yu Xiao Yu (575 – 19 July 648), courtesy name Shiwen, posthumously known as Duke Zhenbian of Song, was an imperial prince of the Western Liang dynasty who later became an official under the Sui and Tang dynasties. He served as a chancellor dur ...

(萧瑀), followed by the other eight Xiao families: :his great grand nephew Xiao Song(萧嵩) :Xiao Song's eldest son Xiao Hua (萧华) :Xiao Hua's nephew Xiao Fu (萧復) :Xiao Hua's grandson Xiao Fu (萧俯, written with a different character for Fu) :Xiao Fu's grandson Xiao Zhen (萧真) :Xiao Hua's grandson Xiao Fang (萧仿) :Xiao Fang's son Xiao Gou (萧遘). There were altogether nine chancellors from the Xiao family during the Tang dynasty. Wuyuan Jiangwan 20120331-01

The Jiang family (江氏) from Jiangwan (江湾), Wuyuan,

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

was originally surnamed Xiao and they call themselves the Xiao–Jiang family (萧江氏). The Xiao-Jiang family was from Danyang (丹阳 (南兰陵) 东城里萧氏). When the Later Liang dynasty overthrew the Tang dynasty in 907, the Tang general Xiao Zhen (萧桢) led a revolt against the Later Liang dynasty but failed. Xiao Zhen was the second son of the Tang chancellor Xiao Gou. The Xiao family left Danyang and escaped to the south. They changed their surname to Jiang; Xiao Zhen (萧桢) became Jiang Zhen (江桢) and he was the progenitor of the Xiao–Jiang family. They later moved to Yunwan (云湾, which changed the name to Jiangwan 江湾). This means that the Jiang family from this area is actually also part of the Xiao family, they are known as the Xiao-Jiang family. During the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

, Xiao Guoliang (萧国梁) was the first member of the Xiao family in Zhangzhou,

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern 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 capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

province. His grandson, Xiao Xun (萧洵) became the county magistrate of Chaoyang in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

province. He became the founder of the Xiao family of Chaoyang. During this period, some members of the Xiao family moved across the sea to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Khitan, Uighur and Manchu surname

During the Liao dynasty, the emperor

Abaoji Abaoji (872 – 6 September 926), posthumously known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Liao, was a Khitan leader and the founding emperor of the Liao dynasty of China, ruling from 916 to 926. He had a sinicised name, Yelü Yi; some s ...

conferred the surname "Xiao" on two Khitan clans, the Bali and the Yishi, reportedly out of admiration for

. Abaoji's son

Yaogu The yaogu (; literally "waist drum"), sometimes historically referred to as the hugu (; literally "barbarian drum" ) or xiyugu (; literally "drum from the Western Regions" ), is a medium-sized, traditional Chinese drum. It is the symbol of Chinese ...

further conferred the surname "Xiao" on the Uighur Shulü clan. Throughout the Liao dynasty, many empresses were surnamed "Xiao" (see

list A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...

). After the demise of the Manchu

, many Manchus adopted Han Chinese-style surnames. Some members of the Manchu

clan, which claims descent from the Uighur Shulü clan, adopted "Xiao" as their surname.

Later history

During the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

, members of the Xiao family moved from

Meizhou Meizhou ( zh, t=梅州, Hakka Chinese: Mòichû) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, China. It has an area of , and a population of 3,873,239 as of the 2020 census. It comprises Meijiang District, Meixian District, Xing ...

and Dabu in Guangdong province. They are mainly the

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 ...

Xiao family. In the early

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, the population in North and Central China was declining due to wars. In order to increase the population and start the economic recovery of these war-torn areas, the Ming government organized many large-scale forced mass migration to the area. People were moved from

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

province, which had been less affected by the wars, to the war-torn, less populated area of North and Central China. The people were ordered to move to a location near "the tree" (大槐树), and prepare themselves for the family migration. The Shanxi Xiao family were part of this group of "immigrants under the tree" (在大槐树下集中移民), which were moved to the modern provinces of

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

Ningxia Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

and other places. Today, the Xiao family still has memorial tablets dedicated to their ancestors among the "immigrants under the tree" at the fourth cabinet of the memorial hall at the "large tree roots memorial garden" (大槐树寻根祭祖园祭祖堂四号供橱). During the Ming dynasty, many members of the Xiao family also moved to

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

province. They became the first members of the Yunnan Xiao family (云南萧氏). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were also mass migrations of Xiao kinspeople from

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

, especially at the beginning of these dynasties, when two major revolutions took place. Historians have called this process of mass migration "Jiangxi filled

Huguang Huguang was a province of China during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. It was founded by the Yuan dynasty in 1274. During the Yuan dynasty it included the areas of modern Hubei south of the Yangtze river, Hunan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. During the Min ...

, Huguang filled Sichuan" (江西填湖广，湖广填四川). "Huguang" refers to the provinces of

and

. According to historical materials, from the beginning of the reign of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

of the Qing dynasty, many members of the Xiao family moved to Sichuan. During the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

between the

Communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

and the

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...

, Xiao people, especially those from Fujian, moved to Taiwan with the Nationalists. In Taiwan, they lived primarily in the cities and counties of

Changhua Changhua (Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Chiong-hòa'' or ''Chiang-hòa''), officially known as Changhua City, is a county-administered city and the county seat of Changhua County in Taiwan. For many centuries the site was home to a settlement of ...

Chiayi Chiayi (,), officially known as Chiayi City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in Chianan Plain in Regions of Taiwan, southwestern Taiwan, surrounded by Chiayi County with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023. The H ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

and Taoyuan. Today, Xiao is the 30th-most common surname in Taiwan. The World Congress of was held in Chaoyang, Guangdong province, China in 2010.

Overseas

At the end of the Qing dynasty, Chinese started to move to other countries to work there. The Xiao also moved to other countries such as

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 ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Others migrated from

. In Malaysia and Singapore, direct transliterations from the various Chinese dialects were used to write Chinese surnames. The

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 ...

or Teochew Chinese romanized "Xiao" as "Seow". Teochew "Seow" are mainly Xiao from Chaoyang in Guangdong province. The

Xiao, especially Huizhou Hakka of Titi (知知港) (in Negeri Sembilan state of Malaysia), a village with a high concentration of Hakka people surnamed Xiao, romanized "Xiao" as "Siow" or "Seow". These days, some members of younger generations use

Hanyu Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means ' Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin'' literally ...

and write their surname as "Xiao". In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the surname is also romanized as Shaw. The connection between "Shaw" and "萧" is influenced by phonetic resemblance, and is exemplified in the

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

of notable figures such as Irish playwright

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

, rendered in Chinese as , and English actor Robert Shaw, often written . This reflects established conventions for translation between foreign and Chinese names, as outlined in resources like the ''English Name Translation Manual''
英语姓名译名手册
, ensuring that translated names resonate with native speakers and maintain phonetic consistency with the original pronunciation.

Simplified Chinese forms

The traditional surname 蕭 is currently represented by three different characters derived from traditional Chinese ( 蕭),

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one that is simpler (usually shorter), according to a well-founded ordering. Examples include: ...

(

萧 Xiao (; ) is a Chinese surname, Chinese-language surname. In the Wade-Giles system of Romanization of Chinese, romanization, it is rendered as Hsiao, which is commonly used in Taiwan. It is also romanized as Siauw, Shiao, Siaw, Siew, Siow, Seow, ...

), and the rescinded second-round simplification ( 肖).

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 ...

, Malaysia and

maintain traditional Chinese characters and therefore write 蕭. In

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

and

, where simplified Chinese is used, most linguistics agree the surname should be written as 萧.姓“萧”还是姓“肖”？
(Simplified Chinese) However, many people in mainland China still have 肖 as their surname in their legal documents for historical reasons (see below). In mainland China, people may regard them as two separate surnames. However, in circumstances where traditional Chinese is used, e.g. in cross-strait relations, this may lead to confusion. People have long been writing the surname 肖 for simplicity, but the form was considered informal and not used in formal texts. However, the second-round Chinese simplification established 肖 as the standard form. When the second-round simplification was rescinded in 1984, some people restored their surname in legal documents to the traditional writing form, but some others did not. Most other surnames do not share these problems. For example, Liao (廖) was simplified to 𭙏 (character composition: ⿸广了) in the second-round simplification. All Liao people reverted to using 廖 after the rescission, because the modification is no longer considered a valid character and cannot be typed into the computer. However, 肖, which has other meanings, is still valid so some people have continued to use this form including in legal documents.

Notable people surnamed Xiao

Historical figures

Emperor Wu of Liang Emperor Wu of Liang () (464 – 12 June 549), personal name Xiao Yan (蕭衍), courtesy name Shuda (叔達), childhood name Lian'er (練兒), was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty, during the Northern and Souther ...

(464–549), founder of the Liang Dynasty * Empress Xiao (disambiguation), various Liao dynasty empresses *

(257 BC–193 BC), Chinese caligrapher and politician *

(575–648), official under the Sui and Tang dynasties

Modern times

* Hsiao Bi-khim (born 1971), Taiwanese politician and diplomat * Hsiao Chia-chi (born 1961), Taiwanese politician *

Elva Hsiao Elva Hsiao (, born 24 August 1979) is a Taiwanese singer. Having gained widespread popularity for her R&B-influenced ballads, she is recognized as one of the four lesser “Queens of Heaven” of Mandopop. Life and career 1979–1998: Earl ...

(born 1979), Taiwanese singer *

Jam Hsiao Jam Hsiao Ching-teng (, born 30 March 1987) is a Taiwanese singer and actor. At the age of 17, while still in high school, he began working as a restaurant singer. In May 2007, Hsiao took part in the first season of China Television (CTV)'s sta ...

(born 1987), Taiwanese singer *

Hsiao Sa Hsiao Sa (Xiao Sa) (; born March 4, 1953) is the pen name of Hsiao Ching-yu/Hsiao Ch’ing-yü (), a Taiwanese educator and writer. Hsiao Sa's family was from Nanjing and went to Taiwan where she was born. She studied at the Girl's Teacher Instit ...

(born 1953), Taiwanese educator and writer * William Hsiao (born 1936), American economist * Seow Poh Leng (1883–1942), Singaporean banker and philanthropist *

Josephine Siao Josephine Siao Fong-fong (; born March 13, 1947) is a Hong Kong film star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 45th Berlin International Fil ...

(born 1946), Hong Kong actress, writer and psychologist * Felix Siauw (born 1984), Chinese-Indonesian Islamic cleric, author and da'i *

Siauw Giok Tjhan Siauw Giok Tjhan (; 23 March 1914 – 20 November 1981) was a Chinese Indonesian activist and politician. Born in Kapasan, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, he was an independent member of the Provisional House of Representatives in the early 1950 ...

(1914–1981), Chinese Indonesian activist and politician * Gaétan Siew (born 1954), Mauritian architect *

Vincent Siew Siew Wan-chang (; born 3 January 1939), known also by his English name Vincent Siew, is a Taiwanese politician who served as the ninth vice president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2012. He was the first Taiwanese-born Prem ...

(born 1939), Taiwanese politician *

Siow Lee Chin Siow Lee Chin (; born 1966) is a Singaporean violinist. Featured in the ''American Record Guide'' as "a distinguished cultural asset of international stature", and '' The Strad'' as a "trailblazing role model for string players", Siow's Gold M ...

(born 1966), Singaporean violinist *

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods. Sui was named one ...

(born 1964), American fashion designer *

Arlen Siu Arlen Siu Bermúdez (15 July 1955 – 1 August 1975), was a singer-songwriter, essayist and Sandinista revolutionary, who became one of the first casualties during the insurrection against Somoza. Her death at an early age, made her a local cele ...

(1955–1975), Nicaraguan singer-songwriter, essayist and Sandinista revolutionary *

Edwin Siu Edwin Siu Ching Nam (; born 23 March 1977) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Siu started his career as an idol singer and was formerly managed by Music Nation Group. In 2002, Siu left the Hong Kong entertainment industry to start his career in ...

(born 1977), Hong Kong actor and singer *

Yum-Tong Siu Yum-Tong Siu (; born May 6, 1943) is a Chinese mathematician. He is the William Elwood Byerly Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. Siu is a prominent figure in the study of functions of several complex variables. His research interes ...

(born 1943), Chinese mathematician * Andrew Seow (born 1969), Singaporean actor and model * Choon-Leong Seow, Singaporean biblical scholar and historian *

Francis Seow Francis Seow Tiang Siew ( zh, s=萧添寿, p=Xiāo Tiānshòu; 11 October 1928 – 21 January 2016), was a Singaporean lawyer who was Solicitor-General of Singapore and later the President of the Law Society of Singapore. Seow started his l ...

(1928–2016)), Singaporean lawyer * Seow Sin Nee (born 1995), Malaysian host, actress and radio DJ *

David Xiao David Hui Xiao (born November 17, 1960) is a Canadian businessman and politician. From 2008 to 2015 he was Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Edmonton-McClung as a Progressive Conservative. Early li ...

(born 1960), Canadian businessman and politician *

Di Xiao Di Xiao () is a classical piano soloist originally from China, named in the top 10 up and coming Chinese pianists by International Piano Magazine in 2009.Nancy Pellegrini: ”On The Rise", "International Piano Magazine", No 62, March/April 2009 ...

, Chinese pianist * Xiao Fuxing (born 1947), Chinese novelist *

Xiao Guodong Xiao Guodong (; born 10 February 1989) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He turned professional in 2007 after winning the Asian Under-21 Championships. He won his first ranking event 17 years after first turning professional at the 202 ...

(born 1989), Chinese professional snooker player *

Xiao Hong Xiao Hong or Hsiao Hung (1 June 1911 – 22 January 1942) was a Chinese writer. Her infant name (乳名，ruming) was Zhang Ronghua (張榮華). Her formal name used at school (學名，xueming) was Zhang Xiuhuan (張秀環). Her name Zhang Nai ...

(1911–1942), Chinese writer *

Xiao Jie Xiao Jie (; born June 1957) is a Chinese politician and an important political aide of Premier Li Keqiang. He served as a State Councilor and the Secretary General of the State Council from 2018 to 2023. Xiao served as the Minister of Finance fr ...

(born 1957), Chinese politician *

Xiao Ke Xiao Ke (; July 14, 1907 – October 24, 2008) was a general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, former vice chairman of the CPPCC, as well as principal of the University of Military and Politics. Biography Early life Xiao was born in ...

(1907–2008), Chinese general *

Xiao Qiang Xiao Qiang (, born November 19, 1961) is a Chinese-born American physicist and activist. He is the director and Research Scientist of Counter-Power Lab, an interdisciplinary faculty-student research group focusing on digital rights and intern ...

(born 1961), Chinese scientist and academic * Xiao Yang (judge) (1938–2019), Chinese judge and politician *

Xiao Zhan Xiao Zhan (, born 5 October 1991), also known as Sean Xiao, is a Chinese actor and singer. He began his career in the entertainment industry when he participated in the idol survival show ''X-Fire'' (2015) and joined the Chinese boy group X ...

(born 1991), Chinese actor and singer

References

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