''Shaw'' is primarily a surname of English or Chinese origin, rarely used as a given name. In English, it derives from Old English roots meaning "woodland" or "thicket". In Chinese contexts, ''Shaw'' is a

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 ...

of the surname 邵 (''

Shao Shao (; HKG Romanisation: Shiu; Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shaw) is a common Chinese family name. It is the 86th most populous family name in China. It corresponds to last name So in Korean; Thiệu or Thiều in Vietnamese; Zau in Wu Chinese/Shanghaines ...

''), or 萧 ('' Xiao'') 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 especially 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 ...

British surname

The name is of English and Scottish origin. In some cases, the surname is an

Americanization Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of the American culture and economy on other countries outside the United States, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, technology ...

of a similar-sounding Ashkenazic Jewish surname. Citing: In England and Scotland, the name is a

topographic name A toponymic surname or habitational surname or byname is a surname or byname derived from a place name,

for someone who lived by a

copse Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...

or thicket. This name is derived from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

''schage'', ''shage'', ''schawe'', and ''shawe'', from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''sceaga'' meaning "dweller by the wood". The name can also be a

habitational name A toponymic surname or habitational surname or byname is a surname or byname derived from a place name,

derived from places named after these words. The English surname was established in Ireland during the 17th century.

People with the English given name "Shaw"

* Shaw Clifton (1945–2023), 18th General of The Salvation Army * Walter Shaw Sparrow (1862–1940), British writer on art and architecture * Shaw Taylor (1924–2015), British actor and TV presenter

People with the English surname "Shaw"

A–E

* A. G. L. Shaw (1916–2012), Australian historian * A. R. Shaw (1922–2013), American educator and politician * Aaron Shaw (representative) (1811–1887), U.S. Representative from Illinois * Adam Shaw (journalist), British business journalist and presenter * Adam Shaw (painter) (born 1957), American painter * Aeneas Shaw (1740–1814), Canadian soldier and political figure *

Alfred Shaw Alfred Shaw (29 August 1842 – 16 January 1907) was a Victorian cricketer and rugby footballer, who bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in a Test innings (5/35). He made two trips to North America and fo ...

(1842–1907), English cricketer * Alice Marion Shaw (1890-?), American composer and pianist * Amos F. Shaw (1839–1898), American politician * Andrea Shaw (born 1983), American professional bodybuilder * Andrew Shaw (ice hockey) (born 1991), NHL player (Montreal Canadiens) *

Anna Howard Shaw Anna Howard Shaw (February 14, 1847 – July 2, 1919) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first women to be ordained as a Methodist minister in the United States. Early li ...

(1847–1919), American suffragette *

Anne Gillespie Shaw Annie "Anne" Gillespie Shaw CBE (28 May 1904 – 4 February 1982) was a Scottish engineer and businesswoman. Shaw specialised in time and motion studies. In 1945, she founded the Anne Shaw Organisation Ltd, a consulting company. Life and c ...

(1904–1982), Scottish engineer and businesswoman * Archie Shaw (1922–1985), Scottish footballer *

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

(1910–2004), American bandleader * Ashley Shaw (cricketer) (born 1991), English cricketer * Barbara Shaw (politician) (1942–2021), American politician * Bernard Shaw (disambiguation), several people * Bill Shaw (footballer, born 1886), Scottish footballer * Bill Kennedy Shaw (1901–1979), British army captain, explorer *

Billy Shaw William Lewis Shaw (December 15, 1938 – October 4, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Ja ...

(born 1938), American football player * Brewster H. Shaw (born 1945), retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former NASA astronaut *

Brian Shaw (basketball) Brian Keith Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played both Guard (basketball), guard p ...

(born 1966), American former basketball player *

Brian Shaw (strongman) Brian Shaw (born February 26, 1982) is an American retired professional strongman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time. He won the 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016 World's Strongest Man, making him one of only f ...

, American professional strongman and winner of World's Strongest Man * Bryan Shaw (baseball) (born 1987), American baseball player *

Caroline Shaw Caroline Adelaide Shaw (born August 1, 1982) is an American composer of contemporary classical music, violinist, and singer. She won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her a cappella piece '' Partita for 8 Voices''. Shaw received the 2022 G ...

(born 1982), American Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer *

Charles Thurstan Shaw Chief Charles Thurstan Shaw CBE FBA FSA (27 June 1914 – 8 March 2013) was an English archaeologist, the first trained specialist to work in what was then British West Africa. He specialized in the ancient cultures of present-day Ghana and ...

(1914–2013), English archaeologist *

Clay Shaw Clay LaVergne Shaw (March 17, 1913 – August 15, 1974) was an American businessman, military officer, and part-time contact of the Domestic Contact Service (DCS) of the CIA. Shaw is best known for being the only person brought to trial for in ...

(1913–1974), charged by Jim Garrison with conspiracy to murder John F. Kennedy *

Cliff Shaw John Clifford Shaw (February 23, 1922 – February 9, 1991) was a systems programmer at the RAND Corporation. He is a coauthor of the first artificial intelligence program, the Logic Theorist, and was one of the developers of General Problem Sol ...

, computer programmer * Darci Shaw (born 2002), British actress * David Shaw (disambiguation), several people * Donald Douglas Shaw (1834–1859), New York assemblyman-elect * Eddie Shaw (1937–2018), American blues saxophonist, arranger and bandleader * Eddie Shaw (rock musician), American bass guitarist and founding member of the rock band '' The Monks'' * Emma L. Shaw, American magazine editor * Enrique Ernesto Shaw (1921–1962), Argentine marine and Roman Catholic businessman * Esther Popel Shaw (1896–1958), poet of the Harlem Renaissance *

Eyre Massey Shaw Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw KCB (17 January 1830 – 25 August 1908) was the first Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (now renamed the London Fire Brigade), and the Superintendent of its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establi ...

, British Army and London Fireman.

F–O

Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She did extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as in film and television. In 2020, she was listed at No. 29 o ...

(born 1958), Irish actress who plays Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films * Flora Madeline Shaw (1864–1927), Canadian nurse and nursing teacher *

Frank L. Shaw Frank Lawrence Shaw (February 1, 1877 – January 24, 1958) was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor ...

(1887–1958), former mayor of Los Angeles, California *

Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born ) is an American actress, writer and director. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime (TV network), Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, dire ...

(born 1981), American actress * Frederick H. Shaw (1864–1924), British citizen who had a prominent role in the creation of the Spanish Institute of Provision, 1908 *

Sir Frederick Shaw, 3rd Baronet Sir Frederick Shaw, 3rd Baronet (11 December 1799 – 30 June 1876) was an Irish Conservative MP in the United Kingdom Parliament, and a judge. He was the second son of Colonel Sir Robert Shaw, Bt of Bushy Park, Dublin and his first wife M ...

from 1869, (1799–1876), Irish Conservative MP in the United Kingdom Parliament * Gary Shaw, several people *

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 ...

(1856–1950), Irish playwright * George Shaw (disambiguation), several people * Graham Shaw (footballer, born 1934) (1934–1998), former Sheffield United footballer * Henry Shaw (philanthropist) (1800–1889), English-American philanthropist * Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818–1895), "Josh Billings", American humorist * Herman Shaw (1892–1950), English geophysicist and museum director * Ian Shaw (born 1969), British actor *

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' (1 ...

(1913–1984), American playwright, screenwriter and author *

JR Shaw JR Shaw (born James Robert Shaw, August 14, 1934 – March 23, 2020) was a Canadian businessman. He founded Alberta-based Shaw Communications in 1966 and was the executive chairman of the company. As of 2016, Shaw and other members of his family ...

(1934–2020), Canadian businessman * Jane Shaw (born 1963) Anglican/Episcopalian priest (England and United States) * Jane S. Shaw, American free-market environmentalist * Joe Shaw (footballer, born 1928), former Sheffield United footballer *

John Shaw (disambiguation) John or Jack Shaw may refer to: Entertainment * John Shaw (actor), American actor who portrayed Mr. Huff in ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules'' * John Shaw (baritone) (1924–2003), operatic baritone * John Shaw (broadcaster) (1957–2013), ...

, several people *

Jonathan Shaw (disambiguation) Jonathan Shaw may refer to: *Jonathan Shaw (British Army officer) (born 1957) *Jonathan Shaw (cricketer) (born 1980), English cricketer *Jonathan Shaw (photographer), British photographer and educator *Jonathan Shaw (politician) (born 1966), Britis ...

, several people * Joyce Cutler–Shaw (1932–2018) American multidisciplinary artist *

Julia Shaw (cyclist) Julia Shaw (born 28 July 1965) is an England, English racing cyclist specialising in the individual time trial, currently riding for the drag2zero.com cycling team. She was won multiple British national championships, the British Best All-Roun ...

(born 1965), British physicist and racing cyclist * Julia Shaw (psychologist) (born 1987), Canadian psychologist *

Kathy Shaw Kathleen "Kathy" Shaw is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives since December 7, 2022. She represents Maine's 88th House district. Electoral history She was elected on November 8, 2022, in the ...

, American politician * Kathryn Shaw, Canadian theatre actor and director * Kathryn L. Shaw, economist *

L. M. Shaw Leslie Mortier Shaw (November 2, 1848March 28, 1932) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He served as the List of Governors of Iowa, 17th Governor of Iowa and was a Republican candidate in the 1908 United States presidential elect ...

(1848–1932), American banker and politician, Secretary of the Treasury * Leander J. Shaw Jr. (1930–2015), American jurist *

Lemuel Shaw Lemuel Shaw (January 9, 1781 – March 30, 1861) was an American jurist who served as chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1830–1860). Prior to his appointment he also served for several years in the Massachusetts House ...

(1781–1861), American jurist * Leslie Shaw, (born 1989), Peruvian model and singer *

Lindsey Shaw Lindsey Shaw (born May 10, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for playing Jennifer "Moze" Mosely on the Nickelodeon series ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide''. She also co-starred in the 2007 CW sitcom ''Aliens in America'', a ...

(born 1989), American actress *

Luke Shaw Luke Paul Hoare Shaw (born 12 July 1995) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left-back for club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and the England national football team, England national team. Ori ...

(born 1995), English footballer * Malcolm Shaw (born 1947), English lawyer and academic * Malcolm Shaw (rower) (1947–2014), Australian rower * Malcolm Shaw (soccer) (born 1995), Canadian soccer player * María Pía Shaw, Argentine journalist *

Marlena Shaw Marlina Burgess (September 22, 1939 – January 19, 2024), professionally known by her stage name Marlena Shaw, was an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and continued to perform until her death. Her music has often been ...

(born 1943), American singer *

Martin Shaw Martin Shaw (born 21 January 1945) is an English actor. He came to national recognition in the role of Ray Doyle in ITV crime-action television drama series '' The Professionals'' (1977–1983). Further notable television parts include the ti ...

(born 1945), English actor * Melville J. Shaw (1872–1927), Marine Corps Brevet Medal recipient * Michael Shaw (disambiguation), multiple people * Naman Shaw, Indian television actor *

Napier Shaw Sir William Napier Shaw (4 March 1854 – 23 March 1945) was a British meteorologist. He introduced the tephigram, a diagram for evaluating convective instability in the atmosphere. He also served as president of the International Meteorologic ...

(1854–1945), British meteorologist * Nellie Shaw Harnar (1905–1985), American historian and educator * Norman Shaw (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1920s and 1930s * Oscar Shaw (1887–1967), American actor and singer

P–Z

* Pamela Shaw, British neurologist * Patrick Shaw (diplomat) (1913–1975), Australian diplomat * Pauline Agassiz Shaw (1841–1917), American philanthropist and social reformer *

Percy Shaw Percy Shaw, (15 April 1890 – 1 September 1976) was an English inventor and businessman. He patented the reflective road stud or " cat's eye" in 1934, and set up a company to manufacture his invention in 1935. Biography Percy Shaw was born i ...

(1890–1976), British inventor of the cat's-eye reflector for roads * Peter Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Prithvi Shaw Prithvi Pankaj Shaw (; born 9 November 1999) is an Indian cricketer who has played for the Indian cricket team in all formats. In domestic cricket, he plays for Mumbai and has previously represented Delhi Capitals and Northamptonshire. Under hi ...

(born 1999), Indian cricketer * Quincy Adams Shaw (1825–1908), American investor and industrialist * Rebecca Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Reta Shaw Reta Shaw (September 13, 1912 – January 8, 1982) was an American character actor, character actress known for playing strong, hard-edged, working women in film and on many of the most popular television programs of the 1960s and 1970s ...

(1912–1982), American actress * Richard G. Shaw (born 1943), first African American insurance commissioner for West Virginia *

Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

(1831–1912), British architect * Robert Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Robin Shaw Robin Shaw is an American politician. From 1994 to 1998, she was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the Arizona's 26th legislative district, 26th legislative district. Life Shaw is a small business owner and worked on the Ari ...

, American politician * Ronald Shaw (1920–1945), Royal Air Force corporal during World War II * Ruth Shaw (disambiguation), several people * Sally Shaw (born 1978), Australian cricketer * Sam Shaw (disambiguation), several people * Samantha Shaw (born 1957), American politician * Samuel Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Sandie Shaw Sandra Ann Goodrich (born 26 February 1947), known by her stage name Sandie Shaw, is a retired English pop singer. One of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s, she had three UK number one singles with "(There's) Always Some ...

(born 1947), British singer * Sebastian Shaw (disambiguation), several people * Sharon Shaw (1957–1971), American murder victim * Simon Shaw (born 1973), English rugby union player * Spencer Shaw (1916–2010), American librarian *

Stan Shaw Stan Shaw (born July 14, 1952) is an American actor. He began his career performing on Broadway musicals ''Hair'' and ''Via Galactica'', before making his feature film debut appearing in ''Truck Turner'' (1974). Shaw later appeared in films such ...

(born 1952), American actor * Stanford J. Shaw (1930–2006), American historian * Steve Shaw (1965-1990), American actor * Susan Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...

(born 1981), British actress and singer * Sylvia Shaw Judson (1897–1978), also known as Sylvia Shaw Haskins, American sculptor and teacher *T. E. Shaw, pseudonym of

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...

("Lawrence of Arabia") *

Terrey Shaw Terrey Ian Shaw (12 October 1946 – 5 December 1997) was an Australian chess International Master. He represented Australia at nine consecutive Chess Olympiads between 1968 and 1984, winning an individual silver medal in 1968 and 1972. Biograp ...

(1946–1997), Australian chess master * Tevin Shaw (born 1997), Jamaican footballer * Thomas Shaw (disambiguation), several people *Todd Shaw, birth name of American rapper

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...

* Tom Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American singer and guitarist best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yan ...

(born 1953) American musician (Styx) * Toni Shaw (born 2003), British Paralympic swimmer *

Tony Shaw (Australian rules footballer) Anthony Shaw (born 23 July 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality who played for the Collingwood Football Club. Playing career Collingwood Football Club Shaw was recruited to Collingwood from Reservoir-Lak ...

(born 1960), Australian rules footballer & media personality * Travis Shaw (born 1990), American baseball player * Vero Shaw (1854–1905), Indian-born English cricketer and Scottish clan chief * Victoria Shaw (1935-1988), Australian actress *

Vinessa Shaw Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (born July 19, 1976) is an American film actress and model. She began her career as a child actress, making her feature film debut in the slasher film ''Home Sweet Home (1981 film), Home Sweet Home'' (1981). She had her b ...

(born 1976), American Actress * Watkins Shaw (1911–1996), British musicologist * Wayne Shaw (disambiguation), several people *

Wilbur Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. The second three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1937, 1939 and 1940), he is also remembered for serving as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedwa ...

(1902–1954), American race car driver * William Shaw (1937-2008), American politician *

William Arthur Shaw William Arthur Shaw (1865–1943) was an English historian and archivist. Life Born on 19 April 1865, in Hooley Hill, Ashton-under-Lyne, now in Greater Manchester, he was the son of James Shaw and his wife Sarah Ann Hampshire. He graduated B. ...

(1865–1943), English historian and archivist * William James Shaw (1877–1939), American entrepreneur and philanthropist * Willis R. Shaw (1860–1933), American politician *

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the 20th century's most important and influentia ...

(1944–1989), American jazz trumpeter *

Zed Shaw Zed A. Shaw is a software developer best known for creating the ''Learn Code the Hard Way'' series of programming tutorials, as well as for creating the Mongrel web server for Ruby web applications. He is also well known for his controversial vi ...

, Canadian writer, software developer and musician

Fictional characters

* Benny Shaw, protagonist in two children's novels by Irish author Eoin Colfer *

Daniel Shaw Daniel Shaw is a fictional Character (arts), character in the television series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck''. Shaw is introduced in the third season episode "Chuck Versus Operation Awesome" as a government agent specializing in the terrorism, terr ...

, in the TV series ''Chuck'' * Sebastian Shaw, a member of the

Hellfire Club Hellfire Club was a term used to describe several exclusive Club (organization), clubs for high-society Rake (character), rakes established in Great Britain and Ireland in the 18th Century. The name most commonly refers to Francis Dashwood, 11t ...

from Marvel Comics * Sameen Shaw, in the TV series ''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

'' * Hester Shaw, from '' Mortal Engines'' * Deckard, Hattie, Magdalene, and Owen Shaw, from the ''Fast & Furious'' film series; see List of ''Fast & Furious'' characters * Shaw, from the animated films ''Open Season'' and '' Open Season: Scared Silly'' * Brandon Shaw, from the Alfred Hitchcock film ''Rope'' * Rev. Shaw Moore, from the film ''Footloose'' * Leah Shaw, from the TV show ''The Walking Dead'' * Henry Shaw Sr and Henry Shaw Jr, from ''Fantastic Beasts'' * Helena Shaw from ''

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' is a 2023 American action-adventure film directed by James Mangold and written by Mangold, David Koepp, Jez Butterworth, Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. It is the fifth and final installment in Indiana_ ...

'' * Mathias Shaw, an NPC in

World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and Mac OS X. Set in the '' Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of War ...

Liz Shaw Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw is a fictional character played by Caroline John in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs. A civilian member of UNIT, an international organisation that defends Earth fr ...

, a companion scientist in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

Chinese surnames

Shaw is a

of Chinese surname " 邵" with various Latinized spellings, including Shaw, Siaw, Siew, Shao, Shiu, Siu and Sho. The origin of the Shaw ("邵") surname traces back to the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

in ancient China. It is believed to have originated from the royal lines, specifically from the

Duke of Shao Shi, Duke of Shao (died 1000 ), born Ji Shi, posthumous name Kang (), also known as Lord Shao or Duke of Shao, was a high-ranking minister of the early Zhou dynasty. He was a member of the royal clan, the founding lineage head of the state of Ya ...

(召公), a loyal subject of the King. A notable example of the Chinese surname "Shaw" in modern history is the

Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers (HK) Limited () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, operating from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shang ...

(邵氏片場), established by the Shaw family. Founded in 1925 by Runje, Runme and

Runde Shaw Runde Shaw (1898–1973), also known as Shao Cunren and Shao Rendi, was the second-oldest of the Shaw brothers, originally from Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, who established Tianyi Film Company (also called Unique) in Shanghai in the early 1920s, set ...

, and later joined by

Run Run Shaw Sir Run Run Shaw (born Shao Renleng; 19 November 1907 – 7 January 2014), also known as Shao Yifu and Siu Yat-fu, was a Hong Kong businessman, filmmaker, and philanthropist. He was one of the foremost influential movie moguls in the East As ...

, the studio became one of Hong Kong's largest film production companies. It played a key role in popularizing the

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

genre, producing iconic films like

Come Drink with Me ''Come Drink with Me'' ( zh, t=大醉俠, l=Great Drunken Hero, p=Dà Zuì Xiá) is a 1966 Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by King Hu. Set during the Ming dynasty, it stars Cheng Pei- ...

(1966),

The One-Armed Swordsman ''The One-Armed Swordsman'' is a 1967 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first of the new style of ''wuxia'' films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodle ...

(1967), and

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' ( zh, t=少林三十六房, also released as ''The Master Killer'' and ''Shaolin Master Killer'') is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio, directed by Lau Kar-leung from a screenplay ...

(1978). Shaw is also a

of the Chinese surname " 萧" (traditional Chinese: "蕭"). This usage is mostly seen among

communities, predominantly in the

. 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

, rendered in Chinese as "萧伯纳", and English actor Robert Shaw. 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. Historically, individuals bearing the surname "Shaw" ( 萧) who emigrated from China over the past 400 years predominantly originated from the provinces of

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 ...

and

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 ...

. These migrations have contributed to the surname's presence in various

communities.

People with the Chinese surname "Shaw"

(1899–1973) *

Runje Shaw Runje Shaw (1896–1975), also known as Shao Zuiweng (C.W. Shaw) and Shao Renjie, was a Chinese film entrepreneur, producer and director. The eldest of the Shaw brothers, in 1925 he founded Tianyi Film Company (also called Unique Film Productio ...

(1896–1975) *

Runme Shaw Runme Shaw, K.St.J (; 1 January 1901 – 2 March 1985) was the chairman and founder of the Shaw Organisation of Singapore. Runme Shaw and his brother, Run Run Shaw, together known as the Shaw Brothers, were pioneers in the film and entertainme ...

(1901–1985), Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist *

(1907–2014), Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist

References

External links

Surname "Shaw"
forebears.co.uk {{surname, Shaw English-language surnames Surnames of Scottish origin