Liang (

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 ...

used in China, ) is an East Asian surname of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

origin. The surname is often transliterated as Leung (in Hong Kong) or Leong (in Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines) according to its

Cantonese Cantonese ( 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 ar ...

and

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

pronunciation, Neo / Nio / Niu (

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 ...

, Teochew,

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

), or Liong (

Foochow Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

). In Indonesia, it is known as Liang or Nio. It is also common in Korea, where it is written Ryang (량) or Yang (양). In

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, it's pronounced as Lương. It is listed 128th in the classic text

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dy ...

. In 2019 it was the 22nd most common surname in Mainland China. In comparison, it is the 7th most common surname in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

, where it is usually written Leung or Leong.

History

During the reign of the Zhou dynasty King Xuan of Zhou (827–782 bc), Qin Zhong set out on an expedition to subdue the peoples to the west in Central Asia. After Qin Zhong died, the King divided the area of Shang among them, the second son of Qin Zhong received the area around

Liangshan County Liangshan County () is a county situated in the southwest of Shandong province, China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city of Jining. Geography Liangshan County is situated north west of Jining in the south west of Shandong prov ...

, from which his descendants developed the surname Liang.https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=liang, retrieved 31 Jan 2020

Notable people with the surname 梁

American

Awonder Liang Awonder Liang (born April 9, 2003) is an American chess prodigy. He is the third youngest American to qualify for the title of Grandmaster (after Abhimanyu Mishra and Samuel Sevian), at the age of 14. Liang was twice world champion in ...

Chinese

Jack Neo Jack Neo (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean actor, television host, comedian and film director. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was best known for his cross-dressing roles ...

, Chinese name: 梁智強， film director. *

Lily Neo Lily Neo ( née Tirtasana; ; born 12 August 1953) is a Singaporean medical practitioner and former politician. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was a Member of Parliament (MP) between 1997 and 2020. Early life a ...

, Singapore politician. *

Neo Ao Tiew Neo Ao Tiew (; 1884 – 1975), MBE, S.C.H, was a Chinese businessman, philanthropist and sheriff from Nan'an, Fujian. He is best known for developing the Lim Chu Kang area of Singapore. Neo Tiew Road, located in the district of Lim Chu Kan ...

, businessman, philanthropist and sheriff. *

Neo Beng Siang Neo Beng Siang () is a professional basketball coach from Singapore. He is currently the head coach of the Singapore Slingers in the Asean Basketball League (ABL). He was the head coach of the Singapore national basketball team from 2003 until ...

, professional basketball coach from Singapore. *

Alan Leong Alan Leong Kah-kit (; born 22 February 1958), SC is a former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Kowloon East geographical constituency, and the sitting-Chairman of the Civic Party. He was also vice-chairperson of th ...

(Chinese name; 梁家傑）, Senior Counsel and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong *

Andrew Leung Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen (; born 24 February 1951) is a Hong Kong politician who is the current President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the Industrial (First) functional constituency. From October 2012 to October ...

, President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong *

Antony Leung Antony Leung Kam-chung GBS OBE JP (born 29 January 1952 in Hong Kong with family roots in Shunde, Guangdong) is a businessman who served as Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), from 29 May 2001 until ...

, banker and former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong *

Bryan Leung Bryan Leung Kar-yan (Chinese: , born 20 January 1948) is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial ...

Hong Kong martial arts actor and director *

Liang Chen Liang Chen (; born 25 February 1989) is an inactive Chinese tennis player. Liang has a singles career-high ranking of No. 342, achieved on 21 September 2009. Her WTA doubles career-high ranking of No. 35, she reached on 26 October 2015. Liang ...

, professional tennis player * Liang Cheng, Qing dynasty ambassador to the United States *

Christine Liang Christine Liang is a Taiwanese-American businesswoman. She is the President and Founder of ASI Corp., a Fremont, California-based wholesale distributor of computer software, hardware, and accessories. Biography Born Christine Chu, she attended D ...

, Taiwanese-born president and founder of ASI Corp., Fremont, California *

CY Leung Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...

The third Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region * Edmond Leung 梁漢文, Hong Kong Singer, actor and a quarter of Big Four and a finalist of the 8th annual New Talent Singing Awards *

Edwaard Liang Edwaard Liang (born c. 1975/1976 Also available a. in Taipei, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese-born American dancer and choreographer. He grew up in Marin County, California. Career Liang began studying dance at the age of 5. He entered the School of Ame ...

, Taiwanese-born American choreographer, ballet dancer with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and former soloist with New York City Ballet *

Edwin Leong Edwin Leong Siu-hung (; born 1951/1952) is a Hong Kong billionaire businessman. He is a property investor, and his main company is Tai Hung Fai Enterprise, which he founded in 1977. As of March 2022, his net worth is estimated at US$4.4 billion. ...

, Hong Kong billionaire businessman *

Elsie Leung Elsie Leung Oi-sie, GBM, JP (; born 24 April 1939) is a Hong Kong politician and solicitor. She was Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong from 1997 to 2005 and a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. Early life and education Leung was ...

, solicitor and former Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong * Leung Foon, Student of Wong Fei-Hung *

Fish Leong Fish Leong (born Leong Chui Peng on 16 June 1978) is a Malaysian singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 20 million records to date, she has achieved popularity and success in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia. ...

, Malaysian-born Mandopop singer *

Gigi Leung Gigi Leung Wing-kei (Chinese: 梁詠琪, born 25 March 1976) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. Early life She was born at Tsan Yuk Hospital in Sai Ying Pun on 25 March 1976 and was given the name Leung Pik-chi () for superstitious reasons; as ...

, Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress * Liang Heng, Chinese ex-pat writer and scholar *

Isabella Leong Luísa Isabella Nolasco da Silva Leong Lok-yau (born 23 June 1988), better known as Isabella Leong, is a Macanese actress and former singer. Early life Luísa Isabella Nolasco da Silva was born on 23 June 1988, in Macao to Luís Alberto Marques ...

, Hong Kong-based Macanese actress and former singer *

Katie Leung Katie Leung (born 8 August 1987; ) is a Scottish actress. Initially famous for playing Cho Chang, the titular character's first love interest in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, she is also known for her roles as Caitlyn in the animated ser ...

, Scottish film, television and stage actress *

Ken Leung Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in ''Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''. Early life Leung was ...

, American film and television actor * Lawrence Leung, Australian comedian, writer and director * Lawrence Liang, Indian legal researcher and lawyer * Lei Liang, Chinese-born American composer * Martin Leung, American pianist * Matthew H. Liang, American physician scientist *

Leung Jan Leung Jan (born Leung Tak-wing; 1826–1901) was a Chinese martial artist and Wing Chun practitioner from Heshan, Guangdong. He was known in Foshan as ''Mr. Jan of Foshan'' and ''King of Wing Chun Kuen''. Leung Jan is one of the earliest well- ...

, Wing Chun practitioner and Chinese herbal doctor from Foshan *

Leung Kwok-hung Leung Kwok-hung ( zh, t=梁國雄; born 27 March 1956), also known by his nickname "Long Hair" (), is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council, representing the New Territories East. A Trotskyi ...

, Hong Kong activits, politician and Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong *

Liang Guanglie Liang Guanglie (, also spelled as Liang Kuang-lieh; born December 1940 in Santai, Mianyang, Sichuan) is a retired general and former Minister for National Defense in the People's Republic of China. Life and career Liang joined the army in ...

, Minister of National Defense in the People's Republic of China and serves as a general in the People's Liberation Army of China * Liang May Seen, first woman of Chinese descent to live in Minnesota, community leader in Minneapolis *

Liang Qichao Liang Qichao (Chinese: 梁啓超 ; Wade-Giles: ''Liang2 Chʻi3-chʻao1''; Yale: ''Lèuhng Kái-chīu'') (February 23, 1873 – January 19, 1929) was a Chinese politician, social and political activist, journalist, and intellectual. His thou ...

, Chinese scholar, philosopher, journalist and reformist * Liang Shan Shan, Malaysian student murdered in Singapore in 1989 *

Liang Shih-Chiu Liang Shih-chiu (January 6, 1903 – November 3, 1987), also romanized as Liang Shiqiu, and also known as Liang Chih-hwa (梁治華), was a renowned educator, writer, translator, literary theorist and lexicographer. Biography Liang was born in ...

, (1903–1987), Chinese educator, writer, translator, literary theorist and lexicographer * Leong Siew Chor, Singaporean convicted killer * Stephen Wing Hong Leung, Chinese-Canadian bishop of the Anglican Network in Canada *

Liang Wenbo Liang Wenbo (; born 25 March 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player based at the Oracle Snooker Club, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. Liang, who plays left-handed, has reached one Triple Crown final, made three Masters appearances, and ...

, snooker player *

Liang Wengen Liang Wengen (; born 1956) is a Chinese entrepreneur who founded and serves as the chairman of Sany Heavy Industry. In 2011, he became the richest man in mainland China with a net worth of about USD 8 billion. As of November 2018, he is the 6 ...

, founder and main shareholder of Sany Group and one of the wealthiest men in China * Roseanne Liang, Chinese-New Zealand film director *

Toby Leung Toby Leung Ching-kei ( Chinese: 梁靖琪, born 27 February 1983) is Cantopop singer and actress from Hong Kong. She entered the music industry in 2004 when the MusicNationGroup discovered her talent. Together with Macy Chan, Elise Liu (廖� ...

, Hong Kong television actress * Tony Leung (Leung Chiu Wai), Hong Kong actor and singer * Tony Leung (Leung Ka Fai), Hong Kong actor * Liang Xiaosheng, Chinese novelist and screenwriter *

Liang Xueming Liang Xueming (; born 2 August 1995) is a Chinese footballer who currently plays for Meizhou Hakka in the Chinese Super League. Club career Liang Xueming was promoted to Guangzhou Evergrande's first team squad in 2015 season. On 13 May 2015, he ...

, footballer * Liang Xueqing, Chinese painter, magazine editor

Filipino

Ronnie Liang Ronnie de Guzman Liang is a Filipino singer, actor, model, and influencer. He is also an Army Reservist and a licensed private pilot. He is currently studying as a commercial pilot and instructor pilot training at the Pilipinas Space and Aviat ...

, Filipino singer * Francisco Tongio Liongson, Early Filipino politician * Pedro Tongio Liongson, Early Filipino politician * Francisco Alonso Liongson, Filipino playwright

Thai

Luang Wichitwathakan Major-General Luang Wichitwathakan (also known as just Wichit Wichitwathakan) ( Thai หลวงวิจิตรวาทการ, วิจิตร วิจิตรวาทการ; Chinese 金良) (11 August 189831 March 1962) was a ...

, born Kim Liang (金良), Thai politician, diplomat, historian, novelist, and playwright. Led committee to rename Siam to Thailand.

Vietnamese

* Lương Thế Vinh, Vietnamese scholar and mathematician * Luong Kim Dinh, (15 June 1914 - 25 March 1997) was a Vietnamese catholic priest, scholar and philosopher * Luong Bich Huu, Vietnamese singer

Indonesian

* Nio Joe Lan, Indonesian historian

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang (Surname) Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames