Ouyang () is a

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 ...

. It is the most common two-character

Chinese compound surname A Chinese compound surname is a Chinese surname using more than one character. Many of these compound surnames derive from Zhou dynasty Chinese noble and official titles, professions, place names and other areas, to serve a purpose. Some are origi ...

, being the only two-character name of the 400 most common Chinese surnames, according to a 2013 study, and is one of the few two-character surnames that have survived into modern times.

Etymology

歐陽 was spelled as : *

Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the ...

s : ''Ouyang'', ''Oyang'', ''O Yang'', ''O'Yang'', ''Owyang'', ''Au Yong'', ''Auyong'', ''Ah Yong'', ''Auyang'', ''Auyeung'', ''Au Yeung'', ''Au Yeang'', ''Au Yeong'', ''Au Ieong'', ''Ao Ieong'', ''Eoyang'', ''Oyong'', ''O'Young'', ''Auwjong'', ''Ojong'', ''Owyong'', ''Ou Young'', ''Ow Yeong'', ''Ow Young'' *

Vietnamese language Vietnamese ( vi, tiếng Việt, links=no) is an Austroasiatic language originating from Vietnam where it is the national and official language. Vietnamese is spoken natively by over 70 million people, several times as many as the rest of the ...

s : ''An-dương'' · ''Arang'' · ''Orang'' · ''Urang'' (安陽, in ancient Annam), ''Âu-dương'' (in Northern), ''Âu-giương'' (in Central), ''Âu-dzương'' (in Southern), ''Âu-rương'', ''Âu-lương'', ''Âu-lang'', ''Âu-giang'' *

Korean language Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographica ...

s : 구양 (九陽, 固阳, ''Guyang'') *

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

s : おうよう (鷹揚 / Ōyō), オウヤンホーム , オウヤン(株)
/ref> (株) * Others : ㄡㄧㄤˊ (in

Bopomofo Bopomofo (), or Mandarin Phonetic Symbols, also named Zhuyin (), is a Chinese transliteration system for Mandarin Chinese and other related languages and dialects. More commonly used in Taiwanese Mandarin, it may also be used to transcribe ...

)

History

The

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

historian

Ouyang Xiu Ouyang Xiu (; 1007 – 1072 CE), courtesy name Yongshu, also known by his art names Zuiweng () and Liu Yi Jushi (), was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a renowned writ ...

traced the Ouyang surname to Ti (,

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 ...

: Tí), a prince of Yue, the second son of King Wujiang (). After his state was extinguished by the state of Chu, Ti and his family lived in the south side of the Mount Ouyu (, currently called Mount Sheng in

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provin ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...

). In

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

, the south side of a mountain or the north bank of a river is called Yang (), thus the Ti family was called Ouyang. He was called Marquis of Ouyang Village (). Traditionally, Ti's ancestry can be traced through his father Wujiang, the King of Yue, to the semi-legendary

Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures promine ...

(). According to a 2013 study, Ouyang was the 169th most common name in China, being shared by around 910000 people or 0.068% of the total population, with the province with the most people with the name being

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

Geographical origins

In terms of distribution Ouyangs have mostly been confined to southern China, especially the areas of southern

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

, central

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

and eastern

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

, with smaller pockets in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

and

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...

Notable clans

The most prominent of the Ouyang clans historically was undoubtedly that of Yongfeng in

, which produced a number of scholars who reached prominence in the imperial bureaucracy. Genealogical lineages and family trees have been established for a number of Ouyang clans around China, showing migration patterns from the Song to the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. 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 ...

, this clan was often shortcut as Âu (歐), Dương (阳) or Dương/Giàng (陽).

Notable people

*Ouyang Feiying, 1930s Shanghai singer * Ouyang Feifei, Taiwanese-Japanese singer * Ouyang Nana, Taiwanese actress *

Ouyang Xiadan Ouyang Xiadan (; born 28 July 1977) is a Chinese news anchor for China Central Television, the main state announcer of China. She won the Golden Mike Award in 2007, and received Golden Eagle Award for Best Programme Host in 2008. Biography Ou ...

, CCTV News reporter *

, Song dynasty scholar *

Ouyang Xun Ouyang Xun (; 557–641), courtesy name Xinben (), was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, and writer of the early Tang dynasty. He was born in Hunan, Changsha, to a family of government officials; and died in modern Anhui province. Achievements ...

, Tang dynasty scholar * Ouyang Zhan, Tang dynasty scholar * Ouyang Yibing, Chinese film scripter * Ouyang Ziyuan, Chinese cosmochemist and geochemist, chief scientist in charge of the

Chinese Lunar Exploration Program The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP; ), also known as the Chang'e Project () after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e, is an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The program incorpor ...

*Âu Dương Quân, Vietnamese footballer of JMG Academy *

Au Yeung Yiu Chung Au Yeung Yiu Chung (born 11 July 1989 in Hong Kong), commonly known as Au Chung, is a Hong Kong professional footballer who currently plays for J3 League club Iwate Grulla Morioka. Club career Au Yeung studied at Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi Y ...

, Hong Kong

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

who won a

2009 East Asian Games ) , Host city = Hong Kong , Teams participating = 9 , Athletes participating = 2,377 , Events = 262 events in 22 sports , Opening ceremony = December 5, 2009 , Closing ceremony = December 13, 2009 , Officially opened by = State Councilor ...

gold medal *

Bobby Au-yeung Robert Au-yeung Tsan-wah (born 28 July 1960) is a Hong Kong actor best known for his comedic roles in many TVB television dramas. He gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Ben Yu in the 1991 legal drama '' File of Justic ...

, Hong Kong actor *

Susanna Au-yeung Susanna Au-yeung (; 6 December 1953 – 9 July 2017) was a Hong Kong actress. Born Chan Kit Ying (), Au-yeung began acting in the 1960s and retired in 1993, ostensibly because she was chosen as a backup for actresses who decided to leave their rol ...

, Hong Kong actress and acupuncturist * Stephen Oyoung, Chinese-American actor *

Jimmy O. Yang Jimmy O. Yang (; born June 11, 1987) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and writer. As an actor, he is best known for starring as Jian-Yang in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'', as Dr. Chan Kaifang in the Netflix comedy series ''Spa ...

, born Au-yeung Man-Sing, Chinese-American stand-up comedian and actor * MC Jin, born Jin Au-Yeung, hip-hop artist * Myra Sidharta, born Auwjong Tjhoen Moy, Indonesian historian *

Darryl O'Young Darryl Hayden O'Young () is a Canadian-born Hong Kong racing driver. Career Early career O'Young began racing in 1988 at the age of eight. Trained by his father he honed his driving skills in karting winning numerous championships. The highlight ...

, Chinese name Au-Yeung Ruoxi,

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

-born

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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

racing driver * Petrus Kanisius Ojong, born Auwjong Peng Koen, co-founder of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

Kompas ''Kompas'' () is an Indonesian national newspaper from Jakarta which was founded on 28 June 1965. The paper is published by PT Kompas Media Nusantara, which is a part of Kompas Gramedia Group. Its head office is located at the Kompas Multime ...

*Ouyang,Francis, Chief of Hospital Medicine VA Medical Center, United States.

Culture

ese scholars, 歐陽 may be an origin of words ''văn-lang'' (minang / 文郎), ''mê-linh'' (maleng / 麊泠), ''âu-lạc'' (urang, orang, anak / 甌雒, 甌駱) and ''an-dương'' (arang / 安陽) what means "people" or "country" in ancient Tai and

Malayo-Polynesian languages The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by the Austronesian peoples outside of Taiwan, in the island nations of Southeast ...

. *

: Anak * Muong languages : ''Rú rác'' (in ancient), ''nú nác'' (in modern) *

Vietic languages The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by the Vietic peoples in Laos and Vietnam. The branch was once referred to by the terms ''Việt–Mường'', ''Annamese–Muong'', and ''Vietnamuong''; the term ''V ...

: ''Núi nước'' (in ancient), ''đất nước'' (in modern)

References

{{101-200 Most Common Family Names in Mainland China Yue (state) Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames