"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 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 Quách. 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. In the Philippines, the spelling is "Que", "Ke", "Quepe", and "Kepa". In 2019, Guo was the 16th most common surname in mainland China.

Origins

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 Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies or groups are acculturated or assimilated into Chinese culture, particularly the language, ...

. However, the majority of people bearing the surname Guo are descended from the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

Hui surname

One of the Guo family is from the Hui clans around

Quanzhou Quanzhou 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, People's Republic of China. It is Fujian's largest most populous metropolitan region, wi ...

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 ...

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

Külüg Khan Külüg Khan (Mongolian language, Mongolian: Хүлэг; Mongolian script: ; ), born Khayishan (Mongolian: Хайсан ; , , meaning "wall"), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Wuzong of Yuan () (August 4, 1281 – January 27, 1311), ...

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

Khanbaliq Khanbaliq (; , ''Qaɣan balɣasu'') or Dadu of Yuan (; , ''Dayidu'') was the Historical capitals of China, winter capital of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in what is now Beijing, the capital of China today. It was located at the center of modern ...

due to war, then got married and settled at

. Because his Persian surname Qudsan 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

. It was politically expedient to claim they were descendants of

Guo Ziyi Guo Ziyi (Kuo Tzu-i; Traditional Chinese: 郭子儀, Simplified Chinese: 郭子仪, Hanyu Pinyin: Guō Zǐyí, Wade-Giles: Kuo1 Tzu3-i2) (697 – July 9, 781), posthumously Prince Zhōngwǔ of Fényáng (), was a Chinese military general and p ...

in order to be better accommodated by local people and later the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

government. After

Haijin The Haijin () or sea ban were a series of related policies in China restricting private maritime trading during much of the Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty. The sea ban was an anomaly in Chinese history as such restrictions were unknown durin ...

policy applied and the Portuguese began to dominate the China-Middle East maritime trade, they were more localized and recognized as descendants as

by themselves and by local people. Due to more people of these clans identifying as Hui, the population of Hui has 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 Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

Taoists Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

, 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 (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), born Zheng Sen () and better known internationally by his honorific title Koxinga (, from Taiwanese: ''kok sèⁿ iâ''), was a Southern Ming general who resisted the Qing conquest of Chin ...

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 The Chinese Muslim Association (; ; CMA) is an organization of Chinese Muslims in the Republic of China (Taiwan). A rival group, the Chinese Muslim Youth League competes with it in Taiwan. History In mainland China The Chinese Muslim Asso ...

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 The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

General

. 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. 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, 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 Guo Huai (died 23 February 255), courtesy name Boji, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao a ...

, Military General of Cao Wei *

Guo Jia Guo Jia () (170– October 207), courtesy name Fengxiao, was a brilliant military adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Throughout his 11 years of service, Guo Jia aided Cao Cao greatly with his brilliance ...

, 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 forefat ...

, a famed Chinese general that served under the Mongols * Guo Nuwang, First Empress of Cao Wei *

Guo Pu Guo Pu (; AD 276–324), courtesy name Jingchun (), was a Chinese historian, poet, and writer during the Eastern Jin period, and is best known as one of China's foremost commentators on ancient texts. Guo was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collec ...

, writer and scholar of the Eastern Jin * Guo Rong, Second Emperor of Later Zhou also known as Chai Rong *

Guo Shengtong Guo Shengtong (郭聖通; 6? – 22 July 52 CE''dingmao'' day of the 6th month of the 28th year of the ''Jian'wu'' era, per Emperor Guangwu's biography in ''Book of the Later Han'') was an empress during the Eastern Han dynasty. She was the sec ...

, 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 astro ...

, astronomer, engineer, and mathematician who lived during the Yuan dynasty *

Guo Si Guo Si () (died 197), also known as Guo Duo, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He assisted Dong Zhuo in his many campaigns and served as a ...

, General who serve under Warlord Dong Zhuo during the Late Han dynasty *

Guo Tu Guo Tu (died 205), courtesy name Gongze, was an official and adviser serving under the warlords Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Guo Tu was from Yingchuan Commandery (潁川郡), which is around presen ...

, adviser under Warlord Yuan Shao *

Guo Wei Guo Wei () (10 September 904 – 22 February 954According to Guo Wei's biography in "Old Histories of the Five Dynasties", he died between 9am and 11 am on the ''renchen'' day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xiande'' era of his reig ...

, Founding Emperor of Later Zhou * Guo Xi, Chinese Painter of the Song dynasty *

Guo Xiang Guo Xiang (; 252–312) is credited with the first and most important revision of the text known as the '' Zhuangzi'' which, along with the ''Tao Te Ching'', forms the textual and philosophical basis of the Taoist school of thought. He was als ...

Taoist of the Early Jin dynasty * Guo Xun, General of The Han dynasty *

Guo Yuanzhen Guo Yuanzhen (郭元振; 656–713), formal name Guo Zhen () but went by the courtesy name of Yuanzhen, was an official, general, and diplomat of Tang and Zhou dynasties of China, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and ...

, General Official and Chancellor of the Tang dynasty * Guo Zhengyi, Official and Chancellor of the Tang dynasty *

Guo Zhongshu Guo Zhongshu ( 929 – 977), courtesy name Shuxian (or Guobao, according to '' Xuanhe Huapu''), was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, philologist, and scholar during the Five Dynasties period and Song dynasty. He was noted for his paintings o ...

, painter and scholar during the Song dynasty *

(697–781), general of Tang China who ended the Anshi Rebellion

Modern

Terry Gou Terry Gou (; born 18 October 1950) is a Taiwanese billionaire businessman and politician. Gou is the founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics. Founded in 1974, ...

(郭台銘, born 1950), Taiwanese billionaire, founder and chairman of

Foxconn Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (), Trade name, doing business as Hon Hai Technology Group () in Taiwan, Foxconn Technology Group () in China, and Foxconn () internationally, is a Taiwanese multinational corporation, multinational electron ...

Guo Ailun Guo Ailun (; born November 14, 1993) is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Chinese national team. He is the first Chinese basketball player to sign with Jordan B ...

(born 1993), Chinese basketball player * Frant Gwo or Guo Fan (郭帆, born 1980), Chinese film director *

Guo Guangchang Guo Guangchang (, born February 1967) is a Chinese businessman and investor. He is the chairman and co-founder of Fosun International Limited, and a representative of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. As of July 2024, ...

(born 1967), Chinese billionaire, founder and chairman of

Fosun International Fosun International Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate holding company. Founded in 1992 by Guo Guangchang and four others, the company is headquartered in Shanghai and was incorporated in Hong Kong in 2004. Its Co-CEOs are Chen ...

Guo Jingjing Guo Jingjing ( zh, c=郭晶晶, p=Guō Jīngjīng; born October 15, 1981, in Baoding, Hebei) is a retired Chinese diving (sport), diver, and multi-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion. Guo is tied with her partner Wu Minxia for winning ...

(born 1981), Chinese Olympic diver *

Guo Jingming Guo Jingming (; born June 6, 1983), also known as Edward Guo, is a Chinese young adult writer, director, and businessman. While in high school, Guo began publishing articles online under the pen name Disiwei (“Fourth Dimension”), which ea ...

(born 1983), Chinese author and pop idol * Guo Mei (born 1968), Chinese haematologist *

Guo Moruo Guo Moruo (November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang, was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official. Biography Family history Guo Moruo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November 10 or ...

(1892–1978), Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist and government official * Guo Qi (born 1995), Chinese chess player * Guo Songtao (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 Cantonese language, Cantonese name Ho Wan Kwok (), Miles Guo, and Miles Kwok, is a self-exiled Chinese billionaire businessman, political activism, politica ...

(born 1967), Chinese billionaire businessman and political activist *

Guo Wenli Guo Wenli (born March 2, 1989) is a Chinese male curler. At the international level, he is a 2015 World Mixed bronze medallist and a 2010 Pacific junior champion curler. Teams Men's Mixed Mixed doubles References External links * ...

(born 1989), Chinese curler * Guo Xinwa (born 2000), Chinese badminton player * Guo Ying (born 1991), Chinese singer and rapper, member of girl group

Rocket Girls 101 Rocket Girls 101 () was a Chinese idol girl group formed by Tencent through the 2018 reality show Produce 101 China on Tencent Video. The project girl group consists of eleven-members that came from different companies: Meng Meiqi, Wu Xuanyi ...

Guo Yonghuai Guo Yonghuai (also spelled Yung-Huai Kuo, ; April 4, 1909 – December 5, 1968) was a Chinese aerospace engineer and aerodynamics scientist. Biography Guo was born in Rongcheng, Shandong. He started his undergraduate education at Nankai Unive ...

(1909–1968), aerodynamics expert and a leader of China's atomic and hydrogen bomb projects * Tina Guo (born 1985), Chinese-American cellist and erhuist *

Xiaolu Guo Xiaolu Guo (; born 20 November 1973) is a Chinese-born British author, filmmaker and academic. Her writing and films explore migration, social alienation, alienation, memory, personal journeys, feminism, translation and transnational identitie ...

(born 1973), Chinese-British novelist and filmmaker *

Alice Guo Alice Leal Guo ( zh, t=郭華萍, p=Guō Huápíng, w=Kuo Hua-p'ing ; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) is a businesswoman and former politician in the Philippines who served as the mayor of the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac, from June ...

, Filipino-Chinese businesswoman and former mayor of

Bamban, Tarlac Bamban, officially the Municipality of Bamban (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,260 people. Etymology The ...

* Hean Tat Keh, Professor of Marketing at Monash University * Herman Keh (born 1996), Singaporean actor and model *

Teresa Kok Teresa Kok Suh Sim (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwo̍k Su-tshim''; born 31 March 1964) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who has served as Deputy Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (Malaysia), Public Accounts Committee (PAC) since ...

(born 1964), Malaysian politician * Kuo Fang-yu (born 1952), Minister of Labor of the Republic of China (2016–2017) *

Kuo Hsing-chun Kuo Hsing-chun ( zh, t=郭婞淳, p=Guō Xìngchún; Amis language, Amis name: Tana; born 26 November 1993) is a Taiwanese Amis people, Amis Olympic weightlifting, weightlifter, Olympic gold medalist, five time world champion, two time Universia ...

(born 1993), Taiwanese Olympic weightlifter * Kuo Kuo-wen (born 1967), Deputy Minister of Labor of the Republic of China (2016–2017) *

Kuo Ping-Wen Kuo Ping-Wen or Guo Bingwen (; 1880–1969), courtesy name Hongsheng (鴻聲), was an influential Chinese educator. Biography Kuo was born in Shanghai, Jiangsu province, and his father was an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He attended Lowr ...

(1880–1969), Chinese educator *

Robert Kuok Robert Kuok Hock Nien, better known as Robert Kuok, (born 6 October 1923) is a Malaysian business magnate, investor and philanthropist based in Hong Kong since 1973. According to ''Forbes'', his net worth is estimated at $11.8 billion as of Apr ...

(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 and bearing the name of a Far Eastern mythical land of contentment depicted in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon''. It is a subsidiar ...

* Phillip Kwok (born 1951) Hong Kong–based Taiwanese actor, martial artist, and stuntman. * Didik Nini Thowok (born Kwee Tjoen An, 1954), Indonesian actor and performer. * Kwik Kian Gie (born 1935), Indonesian politician and economist. * Kwek Leng Beng (born 1940), Singaporean billionaire, executive chairman of

Hong Leong Group Hong Leong Group is a prominent family-owned conglomerate under the Quek/Kwek family, with a strong presence in both Singapore and Malaysia. While the group shares a common heritage, it operates as two separate entities: Hong Leong Group Malays ...

* 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 Aaron Kwok Fu-shing (born 26 October 1965) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer, and actor, known as one of Hong Kong's "Four Heavenly Kings". Active since the 1980s, he has released over 30 studio albums in Cantonese and Mandarin, mostly in the danc ...

(born 1965), Hong Kong singer, dancer, and actor * Kenix Kwok (born 1969), Hong Kong actress *

Sonija Kwok Sonija Kwok Sin-nei (, born 22 July 1974) is a Hongkonger actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who worked with TVB from 1999 to 2015. Since 2015 she has been managed by GAIA Entertainment. Early life Kwok was born in Hong Kong and ...

(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 t ...

(1950–2018), Hong Kong billionaire, former CEO of

Sun Hung Kai Properties Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (SHKP) is a listed corporation and one of the largest property developers in Hong Kong. The company's businesses include property sales, property rental, telecommunications (SmarTone, SUNeVision), hotel operatio ...

Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk ( Kwouk; ; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the '' Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of I ...

(1930–2016), British actor * Phyllis Quek (born 1973), Malaysian actress based in Singapore *

Sam Quek Samantha Ann Quek (born 18 October 1988) is an English former field hockey player and television presenter. She played as a defender for both the England women's national field hockey team, England and Great Britain women's national field hockey ...

(born 1988), British field hockey player and gold medal winner at the 2016 Summer Olympics * Quek Leng Chan (born 1941), Malaysian billionaire, co-founder of

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 郭祺祥, a child rapist and murderer in Singapore * Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Fictional people

Guo Jing Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. He also appears as a supporting character in the sequel, ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', and is mentioned by name in ''The Heaven Sw ...

, protagonist in '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes''

References

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