pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...
romanization
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...
of the
Chinese surname
Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlik ...
(''Cáo''). It is listed 26th in the
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
Taiwan
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 no ...
, although the apostrophe is often omitted in practice. It is romanized "Cho", "Tso", and "Chaw" in
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
; "Chou", "Chô", and "Chháu" in
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
Vietnamese surname
Traditional Vietnamese personal names generally consist of three parts, used in Eastern name order.
* A family name (normally patrilineal, The father’s family name may be combined with the mother's family name to form a compound family name) ...
based on it is now written " Tào". It is romanized "Zau" or "Dzau" in Shanghainese.
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...
Taiwan
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 no ...
.
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, the romanization Cao is a fairly common surname, ranked 7,425th during the 1990 census but 2,986th during the year 2000 census. It is one of the few Chinese surnames whose pinyin transcription is already more common than other variants. The Wade transcription Tsao was only ranked 16,306th during the 1990 census and 12,580th during the year 2000 one. The
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
transcription is actually becoming less common, falling from 7,638th place to 9,925th.
US Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
. Op. cit.
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educa ...
. How Popular Is Your Last Name? Accessed 6 Apr 2012. The Korean name Cho is more common still than Cao, befitting its frequency in Korea itself, where it makes up about 2% of the South Korean population: see
Cho (Korean name)
Jo (, sometimes written as Cho) is a Korean family name, traditionally a royal family name in Korea. As of 2000, there were 1,347,730 people by this surname in South Korea, about 1% of the total population. The name may represent either of the H ...
.
History
Cáo's former pronunciations have been reconstructed as ''*N-tsˤu'' in
Old Chinese
Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 12 ...
and ''Dzaw'' in
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The ...
.Baxter, Wm. H. & Sagart, Laurent. '' ''. 2011. Accessed 11 October 2011. It originated from the Zhou-era Duchy of Cao founded by . The later claim that Cao is said to have been descended from the
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 Soverei ...
via the Zhuanxu Emperor should not be confused with the Chinese surname Gao or the Vietnamese surname Cao. It was the origin of the modern Cāo and Zhu families. Yan (顏) was from Cao (曹).
* Another origin is that it is derived from the
ancestral name
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
of a descendant of Zhurong, , the founder of the state of Zhu, later named Zou, and located in modern Zouxian, Shandong. After the state was annexed by Chu during the Spring and Autumn period Cao (曹) was adopted as a surname by its former subjects.The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
* from the name of a state, State of Cao (曹国), (located in Dingtao in Shandong province) granted to Zhenduo, the thirteenth son of the virtuous
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 ...
. After the state was annexed by
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
, Cao (曹) was adopted as a surname.
* Taken as a surname by the Sogdians when they came to China and became one of the "
Nine Sogdian Surnames
Sogdia ( Sogdian: ) or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Empi ...
", also known as 'nine surnames of Zhaowu'.
Other surnames
Cao can also serve as the romanization for the Chinese surnames ''Cāo'' (), ''Cǎo'' (), and ''Cào'' () as well; however, they are not nearly so common. They were both unlisted among the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' and do not appear among any list of the current popular surnames.
Cāo was likely ''*tsʰˤawʔ'' in Old Chinese and ''TshawX'' in Middle Chinese; its original meaning was "grasp". It originated from the given name of one of
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...
: *''ŋjweiC'' < curse word
Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rud ...
depends on a recent homophone and is unrelated to the surname.
Cǎo was likely ''*tsʰˤuʔ'' in Old Chinese, but had become a homophonous ''TshawX'' by Middle Chinese; its meaning is still "grass" and similar plants.
List of people with the surname
Historical figures
*
Cao Teng
Cao Teng (died late 150s), courtesy name Jixing, was a eunuch who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served four Han emperors ( Shun, Chong, Zhi, and Huan). Through his adopted son Cao Song, he was the grandfather of Cao Cao, ...
, Eunuch of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao's grandfather
* Cao Song, Official of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao's father
*
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...
(155–220), Warlord and Chancellor of The
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 ...
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 ...
, executed for conspiracy in a plot to assassinate him
* Cao Fang (232–274), third emperor of the state of
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Three Kingdoms period
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Three Kingdoms period
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...
*
Cao Huan
Cao Huan () (245/246–302/303), courtesy name Jingming, was the fifth and last emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. On 4 February 266, he abdicated the throne in favour of Sima Yan (later Emperor Wu of the Jin d ...
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Three Kingdoms period
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Cao Pi
Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest s ...
(187–226), Cao Cao's son, ended the
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 ...
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Three Kingdoms period
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...
, ruled as the first emperor of Wei
*
Cao Ren
Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – ...
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 ...
chancellor
* Cao Shuang (d. 249), Cao Zhen's son, regent of
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Sima Yi
Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
He formally began his political career in 208 un ...
* Cao Xiu (d. 228), a distant nephew of Cao Cao, general of
: *''ŋjweiC'' < Cao Zhi
Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style ...
(192–232), Cao Cao's son, a famous poet
* Empress Cao Jie, Cao Cao's daughter, last Empress of the Han dynasty
* Cao Guojiu, or royal uncle Cao, Song dynasty royalty immortalized as one of the Eight Immortals in
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions.
Much of ...
* Cao Bin, Military general of the Song dynasty
* Cao Xueqin (1715 or 1724—1763 or 1764), author of the Chinese classic novel ''
Dream of the Red Chamber
''Dream of the Red Chamber'' (''Honglou Meng'') or ''The Story of the Stone'' (''Shitou Ji'') is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known fo ...
Cao Lỗ
Cao Lỗ ( 高 魯, also known as Đô Lỗ, Thạch Thần, or Đại Than Đô Lỗ Thạch Thần) was a Vietnamese weaponry engineer and minister who helped King An Dương Vương build a crossbow, which he christened "Saintly Crossbow of ...
Cao Yu
Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 — December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important of the 20th century. His best-known works are '' Thunderstorm'' (1933), '' Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man'' (1940) ...
(1910-1996), the pen name of Wan Jiabao, an important playwright in modern China
*
Huai-Dong Cao
Huai-Dong Cao (born 8 November 1959, in Jiangsu) is a Chinese–American mathematician. He is the A. Everett Pitcher Professor of Mathematics at Lehigh University. He is known for his research contributions to the Ricci flow, a topic in the fie ...
(b. 1959), mathematician and managing editor of the ''
Journal of Differential Geometry
The ''Journal of Differential Geometry'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics published by International Press on behalf of Lehigh University in 3 volumes of 3 issues each per year. The journal publishes an annual supplement in b ...
''
* Cao Gangchuan (b. 1935), former Chinese Minister of Defence
* Chin-hui Tsao (b. 1981), Major League Baseball pitcher for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...
Cho Tat-wah
Walter Tso Tat-Wah (15 September 1915 – 10 January 2007) was a film actor of Hong Kong, most famous for the roles he played in a number of ''Wuxia'' films in the 1950s and 1960s.
The names Cho Tat-wah and Shih Kien were synonymous to "good ...
(1915–2007), Hong Kong actor
*
Mandy Cho
Mandy Lee Cho (born 2 September 1982 in Sacramento County, California)Date of birth found on the ''California Birth Index 1905-1995'', under Cho, Mandy Lee, on 2 September 1982 in Sacramento County. is a Hong Kong beauty contestant and televisi ...
(b. 1982), Hong Kong entertainer
* Raymond Cho (b. 1936), Hong Kong politician
* Raymond Cho (b. 1964), Hong Kong actor
*
Gary Chaw
Gary Chaw (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Tshâu Kak; born 9 July 1979 in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia), also known as Gary Cao or Cao Ge or by his alter ego Cao Xiaoge, is a Malaysian Chinese singer-songwriter based in Taiwan, who has had achieved success i ...
,
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese (; Malay: ''Orang Cina Malaysia''), alternatively Chinese Malaysians, are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese descent. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 22.4% of the Malaysian p ...
singer-songwriter based in
Taiwan
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 no ...
* Cao Yupeng (Chinese snooker player)
* Cao Lu (b. 1987), Chinese singer, actress & former member of the K Pop girl group Fiestar
* Tsao Chi-hung, Minister of Council of Agriculture of the Republic of China (2016–2017)
* Paul Cao, Computer Science and Engineering Professor at the University of California, San Diego
* Cho Miyeon (b. 1997), Korean actress, dancer & main vocalist of the K-Pop girl group
(G)I-DLE
(G)I-dle (), stylized in all caps, is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, ...
. Also plays as the voice & singer behind Ahri of
K/DA
K/DA is a virtual K-pop girl group consisting of four themed versions of ''League of Legends'' characters Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai'Sa. (G)I-dle members Miyeon and Soyeon as well as American singers Madison Beer and Jaira Burns provide th ...
(
LoL
LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud and a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to ...
)
* Cao Ruyin, (1967 or 1968–2008), Chinese construction worker and deceased victim of a murder case 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, bor ...
. His killer Kho Jabing, a Malaysian, was hanged in 2016.
*
Victor Dzau
Victor Joseph Dzau (; born 23 October 1945) is a Chinese-American doctor and academic. He serves as the President of the United States National Academy of Medicine (formerly the ''Institute of Medicine'') of the United States National Academy o ...
, (b. 1947), President of the United States National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) of the United States National Academy of Sciences
*
Cao Yang
Cao Yang (; born 15 December 1981 in Tianjin) is a Chinese international football player who currently plays as a versatile defender or midfielder.
Club career
Cao Yang began his career graduating through the Tianjin Teda youth system eventua ...