 Zhang king surname inregular script | |
| Romanization | Chang, Zhang(Mandarin) Cheung(Cantonese) Cheong(Macao, Malaysia) Tiong, Diong(Eastern Min) Tsan, Tsaon(Shanghainese) Teoh,Teo(Hokkien, Teochew) Tew(Teochew) Chong, Cheong(Hakka) Cheong(Gan) Jang,Chang (장)(Korean) Trương,Trang(Vietnamese) Tjong(Indonesia) |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | IPA:/tʂɑŋ˥/(Mandarin IPA) Zhāng(MandarinPinyin) Zoeng1(CantoneseJyutping) Tiuⁿ(HokkienPe̍h-ōe-jī) |
| Language(s) | Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Chinese |
| Derivation | Nie |
| Meaning | drawing a bow,[1] archer,bowyer, ameasure word |
Zhang ([ʈʂáŋ] ⓘ;traditional Chinese:張;simplified Chinese:张) is thethird most common surname inChina andTaiwan (commonly spelled asChang in Taiwan), and it is one of the most common surnames in the world.[2][3] It is spoken in thefirst toneZhāng. It is a surname that exists in many languages and cultures, corresponding to the surname 'Archer' in English for example.[4] In theWade–Giles system ofromanization, it is romanized asChang, which is commonly used inTaiwan.Cheung is commonly used inHong Kong as a romanization. It is the 24th name on theHundred Family Surnames poem, contained in the verse 何呂施張(Hé Lǚ Shī Zhāng).
Zhang is also the pinyin romanization of the less-common surnames章 (Zhāng), which is the 40th name on theHundred Family Surnames poem, and仉 (Zhǎng).
Today, it is one of the most common surnames in the world at over 100 million people worldwide.[5] Zhang was listed by thePeople's Republic of China'sNational Citizen ID Information System as thethird-most-common surname inmainland China (April 2007), with 87.50 million bearers.[6][7]
A commonly cited but erroneousfactoid in the 1990Guinness Book of Records listed it as the world's most common surname,[8] but no comprehensive information from China was available at the time and more recent editions have not repeated the claim.
As mentioned above,張 is thethird-most-common surname inmainland China, making up 6.83% of the population of the People's Republic of China.[9] In 2019 it was the most common surname in exactly one provincial-level division,Shanghai municipality.[10] In Taiwan,張 is thefourth-most-common surname, making up 5.26% of the population of the Republic of China. In 2019 it was again the third most common surname in Mainland China.[10]
Zhang Wei (张伟) has been the most common family name and given name combination in China for many years.
Among the Chinese diaspora, the name remains common but takes on various romanizations. "Teo" and "Chong" are amongst themost common surnames amongChinese Singaporeans, listed at 11th and 19th respectively;[11] "Chang" is the6th-most-common surname amongChinese Americans; and "Zhang" was the7th-most-common particularly Chinese surname found in a 2010 survey ofOntario'sRegistered Persons Database ofCanadian health card recipients.[12]
張 combines theChinese characters弓 (gōng, "bow") and長 (simp.长,cháng, "long" or "wide"). It originally meant "to open up" or "to spread" as an arching bow, but as a common noun in modern use it is ameasure word for flat objects such as paper and cloth, like the English "sheet of".
The traditional origin of the surname張 (Old Chinese:*C. traŋ[1]) is rooted in Chinese legend. The fifth son of theYellow Emperor,Qing Yangshi (simplified Chinese:青阳氏;traditional Chinese:青陽氏;pinyin:Qīng Yángshì), had a sonHui (挥;揮;Huī) who was inspired by the Heavenly Bowconstellation (天弓星,Tiān Gōng Xīng) to invent the bow and arrow. Hui was then promoted to "First Bow" (弓正,Gōng Zhèng) and bestowed the surname張, which – when broken into its constituentradicals – means "widening bow" or "archer". ItsMiddle Chinese pronunciation has been reconstructed asTrjang.[1]
