"Guo", written in Chinese:

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

, is one of the most common Chinese surnames and means "the wall that surrounds a city" in Chinese. It can also be transliterated into English as Cok, Gou, Quo, Quach, Quek, Que, Keh, Kuo, Kwo, Kuoch, Kok, Koc, Kwee, Kwek, Kwik, Kwok, Kuok, Kuek, Gock, Koay, or Ker. The Korean equivalent is spelled Kwak; the Vietnamese equivalent is Quach. The different ways of spelling this surname indicate the origin of the family. For example, the Cantonese "Kwok" originated in Hong Kong and the surrounding area. It is the 18th most common family name in China and can be traced as far back as the Xia Dynasty. There are eight legendary origins of the Guo surname, which include a Persian ( Hui) origin, a Korean origin, and a Mongolian origin, as a result of sinicization. However, the majority of people bearing the surname Guo are descended from the Han Chinese. In 2019, Guo was the 16th common surname in Mainland China.

Origins

Royal Ancestors

Legend has it that the Guo family is descended from Yellow Emperor ( 黃帝), who is traditionally said to have ruled China around 2697–2597 or 2698–2598 BC. Yellow Emperor had 25 sons, 14 of which were offered by Yellow Emperor with 12 names. The first son of Yellow Emperor was Shaohao, bearing the surname

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

(姬) . Shaohao begot Qiaoji ( 蟜極). Qiaoji begot Emperor Ku. Emperor Ku begot Hou Ji. Hou Ji was the founder of Zhou kingdom in northwestern China. Hou Ji begot Buzhu. Buzhu begot Ji Ju. Ji Ju begot Gong Liu. Gong Liu begot Qingjie. After nine generations following Qingjie, their descendant

King Ji of Zhou Jili was a leader of the Predynastic Zhou during the Shang dynasty of ancient China. His son King Wen and grandson King Wu would defeat the Shang to establish the Zhou dynasty. He was posthumously granted the title of king, and often referred to ...

became the king of Zhou.

Primogenitor

The surname of Guō descended from Prince Guo Shu ( 虢叔), the 3rd son of

. The character guó ( 虢, /*kʷraːɡ/) is rare in Chinese, and means "to hunt and flay a tiger", indicating that Guo Shu was a brave warrior. During the war unifying China,

King Wen of Zhou King Wen of Zhou (; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was Count of state of Zhou, 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 hi ...

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

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

feoffed his uncle and mentor Guo Shu to the Western Guo (西虢) around 1054 b.c. Guo Shu was named the Duke of Guo (虢公) or with same pronunciation the Duke of Guo (郭公) since after. Guo Shu is regarded by Guo's clan as their primogenitor. In 658 B.C., Western Guo was extinguished and annexed by State of Jin. The descendants of the Guo's clan were exiled and populated to Jinyang (nowadays

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

) and formally adopted the name Guo.

Guo Ting

Guo Ting (郭亭), died 178 B.C., a local usher (連敖), took part in the Great Insurrection against the Qin dynasty and joined the army of Emperor Liu Bang. He was feoffed at Renqiu and conferred

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

of A Ling (阿陵侯) in July 201 B.C. after the establishment of Han Dynasty. Guo's clan lost their noble title since 7th century B.C. After almost five centuries, Guo Ting was the first one to acquire a noble title again. Since then, talented Guos began to be active in Chinese history continuously towards the climax of the glory of Guo Ziyi some 800 years later. Guo Ting begot Guo Ke. Guo Ke begot Guo Ou. Guo Ou begot Guo Guangyi. Guo Guangyi begot Guo Yan ( courtesy name: Mengru). Mengru moved his family from

to the Huazhou District.

Guo Ziyi

About 700 years after Mengru moved to Huazhou District, Guo Ziyi stepped up to the stage of history. Guo Ziyi (Sep.5, 698 AD - Jul.9, 781 AD). Prince Zhōngwǔ of Fényáng (汾陽忠武王), was the Tang dynasty general who wiped out the An Lushan Rebellion and participated in expeditions against the Uyghur Khaganate and Tibetan Empire. He was regarded as one of the most powerful Tang generals before and after the Anshi Rebellion. After his death, he was deified in Chinese folk religion as the God of Wealth and Happiness (Lu Star of Fu Lu Shou). Guo Ziyi was one of the most successful and satisfactory officials in

China history The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

. His achievements went far beyond Guo Shu and Guo Ting. He had eight brothers and eight sons and eight son-in-laws. Four of his sons conferred dukes and five of his sons and grandsons became Fuma( damat). All his son-in-laws were top brass of the country. one of his granddaughter became the Empress Dowager Guo (Tang dynasty). His descendants spread all over Northern China. Most of

genealogy book A genealogy book or register is used in Asia and Europe to record the family history of ancestors. Greater China It is the Chinese tradition to record family members in a book, including every male born in the family, who they are married to, e ...

of Guo's family over China record him as their first ancestor.

Hui surname

One of the Guo family is from Hui clans around

Quanzhou Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...

in Fujian. Early in the 14th century, a Persian Al-Qudsan Al-Dhaghan Nam (伊本·庫斯·德廣貢·納姆) was sent to

by Külüg Khan for assisting grain transportation by sea. He failed to return to

Khanbaliq Khanbaliq or Dadu of Yuan () was the winter capital of the Yuan dynasty of China in what is now Beijing, also the capital of the People's Republic of China today. It was located at the center of modern Beijing. The Secretariat directly administ ...

due to war, then got married and settled at

. Because his Persian surname Dhaghan pronounces similar to Chinese Guo, Al-Qudsan Al-Dhaghan Nam's grandsons began to change their surname to Guo in order to assimilate with local Han Chinese. It was politically expedient to claim they were descendants of Guo Ziyi in order to be better accommodated by Local people and later Ming Dynasty government. After Haijin policy applied and the Portuguese began to dominate the China-Middle East maritime trade, they were more localized and recognized as descendants as Guo Ziyi by themselves and by local people. Due to more people of these clans identifying as Hui the population of Hui as grown. All these clans needed was evidence of ancestry from Arab, Persian, or other Muslim ancestors to be recognized as Hui, and they did not need to practice Islam. The Communist party and its policies encouraged the definition of Hui as a nationality or ethnicity. The Chinese government's Historic Artifacts Bureau preserved tombs of Arabs and Persians whom Hui are descended from around

. Many of these Hui worship their village guardian deities and are non-muslims; they include

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

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

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

who no longer observe Islam, the Taiwan branch of the Guo (romanized as Kuo in Taiwan) family are non-muslims, but maintain a tradition of not offering pork at ancestral shrines. The Chinese Muslim Association counts these people as Muslims. The Taiwanese Guo clan view their Hui identity as irrelevant and don't assert that they are Hui. Various different accounts are given as to whom the Hui Guo clan is descended from. Several of the Guo claimed descent from Han chinese General Guo Ziyi. They were then distressed and disturbed at the fact that their claim of descent from Guo Ziyi contradicted their being Hui, which required foreign ancestry. While the Encyclopædia Iranica claims the ancestor of the Guo clan in Baiqi was the Persian Ebn Tur (Daqqaq).

Notable people

Historical

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

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

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

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

, a famed Chinese general that served under the Mongols * Guo Nuwang, First Empress of Cao Wei * Guo Pu, writer and scholar of the Eastern Jin * Guo Rong, Second Emperor of Later Zhou also known as Chai Rong * Guo Shengtong, First Empress of Emperor Guangwu *

Guo Shoujing Guo Shoujing (, 1231–1316), courtesy name Ruosi (), was a Chinese astronomer, hydraulic engineer, mathematician, and politician of the Yuan dynasty. The later Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1591–1666) was so impressed with the preserved astron ...

, astronomer, engineer, and mathematician who lived during the Yuan Dynasty * Guo Si, General who serve under Warlord Dong Zhuo during the Late Han Dynasty * Guo Tu, adviser under Warlord Yuan Shao * Guo Wei, Founding Emperor of Later Zhou * Guo Xi, Chinese Painter of the Song Dynasty * Guo Xiang Taoist of the Early Jin Dynasty * Guo Xun, General of The Han Dynasty * Guo Yuanzhen, General Official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty * Guo Zhengyi, Official and Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty * Guo Zhongshu, painter and scholar during the Song Dynasty * Guo Ziyi, (697 – 781), general of Tang China who ended the Anshi Rebellion

Modern

* Terry Gou (郭台銘, born 1950), Taiwanese billionaire, founder and chairman of Foxconn * Guo Ailun (born 1993), Chinese basketball player * Guo Guangchang (born 1967), Chinese billionaire, founder and chairman of Fosun International * Guo Jingjing (born 1981), Chinese Olympic diver * Guo Jingming (born 1983), Chinese author and pop idol * Guo Moruo (1892–1978), Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist and government official * Guo Qi (born 1995), Chinese chess player *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(born 1985), Chinese-American cellist and erhuist * Xiaolu Guo (born 1973), Chinese-British novelist and filmmaker * Hean Tat Keh, Professor of Marketing at Monash University * Teresa Kok (born 1964), Malaysian politician *

Kuo Fang-yu Kuo Fang-yu (; born 1 April 1952) is a Taiwanese politician. He served as the Minister of Labor since 20 May 2016 until 7 February 2017. Education Kuo obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in diplomacy from National Chengchi University ...

(born 1952), Minister of Labor of the

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

(2016–2017) * Kuo Hsing-chun (born 1993), Taiwanese Olympic weightlifter *

Kuo Kuo-wen Kuo Kuo-wen (; born 11 March 1967) or Robert Kuo is a Taiwanese politician. He has served as secretary-general of the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions and Taiwan Labor Front, as well as a member of the Tainan City Council. He was appointed ...

(born 1967), Deputy Minister of Labor of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Kuo Ping-Wen (1880–1969), Chinese educator * Robert Kuok (born 1923), Malaysian born Chinese, Hong Kong billionaire, chairman of

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts () is a multinational hospitality company. Founded in 1971 by tycoon Robert Kuok in Malaysia, the company now has over 100 luxury hotels and resorts with over 40,000 rooms in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East ...

* Kwik Kian Gie (born 1935), Indonesian politicians * Kwek Leng Beng (born 1940), Singaporean billionaire, executive chairman of Hong Leong Group Singapore * Sherman Kwek (born 1975/76), Singaporean businessman, son of Kwek Leng Beng * Kwok Wing-kin (born 1986), Hong Kong politician, leader of the Labour Party * Aaron Kwok (born 1965), Hong Kong singer, dancer, and actor * Kenix Kwok (born 1969), Hong Kong actress * Sonija Kwok (born 1974), Hong Kong actress * Roger Kwok (born 1964), Hong Kong actor *

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

(born 1950), Hong Kong billionaire, former CEO of Sun Hung Kai Properties * Burt Kwouk (1930–2016), British actor * Phyllis Quek (born 1973), Malaysian based in Singapore actress * Sam Quek (born 1988), British field hockey player and gold medal winner at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics * Quek Leng Chan (born 1941), Malaysian billionaire, co-founder of Hong Leong Group Malaysia * Keh Chin Ann (郭振安; born 1974, disappeared in 1986), a twelve-year-old schoolboy who went missing in Singapore *

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

郭祺祥, a child rapist and murderer in Singapore

Fictional people

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

References

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