List of most common surnames in Asia

Last updated

This is a list of the most common surnames in Asia, in alphabetical order of the country.

Contents

Armenia

Source: Armenia's Voter List [1]
RankNameArmenianRoot name
1 Grigoryan Գրիգորյան Grigor (Gregory)
2 Harutyunyan Հարությունյան Harutyun ("resurrection")
3 Sargsyan Սարգսյան Sargis (Sergius)
4 Hovhannisyan Հովհաննիսյան Hovhannes (John)
5 Khachatryan Խաչատրյան Khachatur ("given by cross")
6 Hakobyan Հակոբյան Hakob (Jacob)
7 Petrosyan Պետրոսյան Petros (Peter)
8 Vardanyan Վարդանյան Vardan
9 Gevorgyan Գեւորգյան Gevorg (George)
10 Karapetyan Կարապետյան Karapet ("forerunner")
11 Mkrtchyan Մկրտչյան Mkrtich ("baptist")
12 Ghazaryan Ղազարյան Ghazar (Lazarus)
13 Manukyan Մանուկյան Manuk ("child")
14 Avetisyan Ավետիսյան Avetis/Avetik ("good news")
15 Poghosyan Պողոսյան Poghos (Paul)
16 Martirosyan Մարտիրոսյան Martiros ("martyr")
17 Sahakyan Սահակյան Sahak (Isaac)
18 Arakelyan Առաքելյան Arakel ("apostle")
19 Margaryan Մարգարյան Margar
20 Davtyan Դավթյան Davit (David)

Azerbaijan

Rank [2] Name Romanization Meaning
1Məmmədov Mammadov "Son of Mammad"
2Əliyev Aliyev "Son of Ali"
3Hüseynov Huseynov "Son of Hüseyn"
4Həsənov Hasanov "Son of Hasan"
5Quliyev Guliyev "Son of Qulu"
6İsmayılov Ismayilov "Son of Ismayil"
7Əhmədov Ahmadov "Son of Ahmad"
8Abdullayev Abdullayev "Son of Abdulla"
9Abbasov Abbasov "Son of Abbas"
10Cəfərov Jafarov "Son of Jafar"

Bangladesh

Rank [3] Name Romanization Meaning
1 আক্তার Akter Star
2 ইসলাম Islam Submission
3 খাতুন Khatun Noblewoman
4 হোসেন Hossain Handsome
5 রহমান Rahman Gracious
6 আহম্মেদ Ahmed

Cambodia

KhmerIPARomanizationOrigin
កូយKuy
កឹមKem
កែបKep
កែវkaewKeo(2nd most popular surname in Cambodia) meaning glass or jewel or crystal
ខាត់kʰatKhatChinese
ខាយkʰaːyKhay凱/凯 (triumphant, victorious)
ខៀវkʰiəwKhiev喬/乔 (Chinese "qiao", Vietnamese "kiều")
ខ្លូតkʰloutKhlotgeneric name for melon-like fruit
គឹមkɨmKim金 (Korean "Kim" / Mandarin Chinese "Jin", meaning gold)
គួចKouch
កាំងKaing
ឃាងKheang
ឃិនKhinChinese 欽/钦 (respect, admiration)
ឃីមKhim
ចន្ទChan/Chhan/JanSanskrit word Candra (चन्द्र) meaning moon
ចាន់Chan
ចាបChapBird
ចេងCheng
ចេនceːnChen/Jen陳 (Given only to Cambodians of Chinese descent)
ឆនcʰɑːnChhorn終/终; whole, complete, entire.
ឆាយ
ជាciəChea谢 (Chinese Xie)
ជាមciəmCheambowl. [4] From Persian جام (jam) meaning "cup". Or could be from Chinese 詹 (zhan) meaning "talk too much."
ជិនcinChin/Jin
ជឹមcɨmChim/Choem
ជ័យcɨjChey/Jey/JayMost popular surname in Cambodia, the Cambodian word "chey" meaning "victory" or "victorious", derived from Sanskrit jaya (जय)
ឈិតcʰitChhet/Chhit奇 (odd, unusual)
ឈិន陳/陈 (old)
ឈឹមcʰəmChhim/Chhem欽 (respect, admiration)
ញឹកɲɨkNhekabbreviation of 涅槃 (Nirvana)
ដួងduəŋDuongbeloved, dear, darling
ឌិតdɨtDithḍita from Sanskrit Paṇḍita (पण्डित) meaning wise man or scholar; or Chinese 狄 ("Di")
ឌិនdɨnDinfrom ḍina (डिन) in Pali meaning flight
ឌីDy
ឌុលdulDulfrom ḍula (डुल) in Pali meaning earring or tremble
ឌួងduəŋDuongChinese 東/东 (east)
តក់TokDroplets of water
តាងtaːŋTang
តាតtaːtTat達/达 (attain)
តូចtouc ~ tuːcToch/Touchsmall
តាំងtaŋTaingPossibly from Chinese 凳 meaning "bench" or "chair". [4]
ថនThan
ទាវTeav
ទីtiːTy
ទុំTum
ទ្រីTry
ទេពteːpTepfrom Deva (देव), Sanskrit for god or divine
ធីtʰiːThy
នីNy
ប្រាក់PrakKhmer for silver
ប៉ាងpaːŋPang龐/庞 (vast)
ប៉ុកpokPok波 (Bo)
ប៊ុនbunBun本 (the four winds, from Vietnamese bốn)
ប៉ែនpaenPen/Ben賓/宾 (guest/visitor)
ផានpʰaːnPhan潘 (to overflow; be abundant)
ពិជPech
ពេជ្រPichmeans Diamonds in Cambodia
ភីpʰiːPhyguardian, one of great importance
មាmaːMaม้า (Thai version of Chinese "Ma")
មានmiənMeanrich or wealthy; or 緬/缅 (nostalgic, distant)
មាសmiəhMeasKhmer for gold
មួយmuəyMuy/Muoythe number 1
មូលmuːlMulround
មេងmeːŋMeng孟 (Chinese "Meng")
ម៉ៅmaʋMao毛 (Chinese "Mao"), locals argue that it came from a spoken form of the Khmer word black or kmav (ខ្មៅ).
However this word is reconstructed from Proto-Austro-Asiatic as *kVm and thus is unlikely to be so.
យស់yuəhYos/Yous
យុនyunYun尹 (Chinese "Yun")
យូyuːYu尤 (Chinese "Yu")
រស់rʊəhRos/Rousto live
រួយRouy
លិមlimLim林 (Chinese "Lin", meaning forest)
លីLy
លីវLiv
លឹមLim
វ៉ាងʋaaŋVang
វង្សʋʊəŋVongCircle, line of descent. Derived from the Sanskrit word vaṃśa (वंश) meaning lineage.
sɑːSor/SarWhite
សងsɑːŋSangPayback
សមsɑːmSam
សរsɑːSor/Sar
សាងsaːŋSang常 (Variation of Chinese "Chang")
សាតsaːtSat
សានsaːnSan
សាយsaːjSay
សិនsɨnSin森; (Forest)
សឺនsəɨnSon
សុខsokSokfrom Sanskrit Sukha (सुख) meaning joy or happiness
សុងsoŋSong
សុនsonSon
ស៊ុយsuySuy隋 (Sui Dynasty)
សូsoːSo蘇/苏 (Chinese "Sū")
ស៊ូsuːSu蘇/苏 (Chinese "Sū")
សួនsuənSounGarden
សឿងSeoung
សៀងsieŋSieng/SeangSoy or Shang (From Shang Hai City)
សេងseiŋSeng常 (Variation of Chinese "Chang"). Or from Chinese 乘 (seng) meaning "to multiply" [4]
សេនseinSenCent
សោមsaomSomfrom Sanskrit soma (सोम) meaning moon or sky
សៅSao
ហាក៉Hak
ហុងhoŋHongfrom Chinese 洪 "Hong" meaning water or flood listed 184th among the Song-era Hundred Family Surnames
ហ៊ុនhunHunmoney investment, share (of stocks). Thai or Chinese etymology. [4] Possibly related to 份 ("Hun" in Hokkien) meaning "share, portion."
ហូhouHo/Hu胡 (Chinese "Hu")
ឡាយLay來/来 (Chinese "Lai", meaning Come)
ឡុងloŋLong龍/龙 (Chinese "Long", meaning dragon)
អាងaːŋAng/Aang吳/吴 (Cantonese variation of surname "Wu")
អិមʔimIm/Yim任 (Hakka Chinese 'jim5')
អុងʔoŋOng王 (Chinese "Wang" (pronounced Ong in Hokkien dialect), meaning king)
អ៊ុចʔucUch/OuchTo Light
អ៊ុយʔujUy
អៀមʔiəmEam/Iem/Iam
អៀវʔieʋIv/Eav/Eaw楊/杨 (Chinese "Yang")
អ៊ុំʔumUmAunt (A parent's older brother or sister)
ឯកʔaekEk/AekSelf, Single; from Sanskrit eka (एक)
ឱកʔaokOk/Aok玉 (Jade)
ឱមʔaomOm嚴/严 (Chinese "Yan")

China

According to a report released by the Ministry of Public Security in January 2019, there are 6,150 different surnames in China with the top 100 surnames used by 85% of the population in 2018. [5]

Rank Name Romanization Total Number in China
(2018) [5]
Simp. Trad.
1 Wáng [lower-alpha 1] /Wong 101,500,000
2 [lower-alpha 2] /Lee 100,900,000
3 Zhāng [lower-alpha 3] /Cheung 95,400,000
4 Liú [lower-alpha 4] /Lau 72,100,000
5 Chén [lower-alpha 5] / Chan63,000,000
6 Yáng [lower-alpha 6] /Yeung46,200,000
7 Huáng/Wong 33,700,000
8 Zhào/Chiu28,600,000
9 [lower-alpha 7] /Ng 27,800,000
10 Zhōu/Chow26,800,000
11 [lower-alpha 8] /Tsui20,200,000
12 Sūn/Suen19,400,000
13 /Ma19,100,000
14 Zhū/Chu18,100,000
15 /Wu16,500,000
16 Guō/Kwok 15,800,000
17 /Ho 14,800,000
18 Lín/Lam 14,200,000
19 Gāo/Ko14,100,000
20 Luó/Law14,000,000

Georgia

RankNameRomanizationTotal Number [6]
(2010)
1ბერიძე Beridze 24,962
2მამედოვი Mamedov
Mamedovi
23,675
3კაპანაძე Kapanadze 17,202
4გელაშვილი Gelashvili 16,350
5ალიევი Aliyev
Alievi
15,742
6მაისურაძე Maisuradze 14,824
7გიორგაძე Giorgadze 12,954
8ლომიძე Lomidze 11,796
9წიკლაური Tsiklauri 11,571
10ბოლქვაძე Bolkvadze 10,916
11კვარაცხელია Kvaratskhelia 10,447
12ნოზაძე Nozadze 10,183
13ხუციშვილი Khutsishvili 10,075
14შენგელია Shengelia 9,928
15აბულაძე Abuladze 9,663
16მიქელაძე Mikeladze 9,220
17ტაბატაძე Tabatadze 8,654
18მჭედლიშვილი Mchedlishvili 8,446
19ბაირამოვი Bairamov
Bairamovi
8,373
20გოგოლაძე Gogoladze 8,362

India

RankNameRomanizationMeaningDetail
1देवी Devi GoddessCommon surname of Hindu women
2कुमार Kumar PrinceCommon surname of Hindu men
3सिंह Singh LionCommon surname of Hindu Kshatriyas and Sikhs
4शर्मा Sharma Joyfulness, comfort, happinessCommon surname of Hindu Brahmins
5अली Ali Name of a companion of Muhammad Common surname of Muslims
6यादव Yadav Name of a caste Common surname of Hindus

Indonesia

Most Indonesians do not use a family last name. There is only a small number of ethnic groups which maintain family names.

Israel

Japan

The most common Japanese surnames are Satō (佐藤), Suzuki (鈴木), Takahashi (高橋), Tanaka (田中), and Watanabe (渡辺).

Kazakhstan

Provided here is a list of the 33 most common surnames in Kazakhstan according to the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan as of 2014. [11]

RankCyrillic script Latin script Language (and meaning)Occurrence
1Ахметов Ahmetov Kazakh, "son of Ahmet"73,627
2Омаров Omarov Kazakh, "son of Omar"45,123
3Ким Kim Korean 42,274
4Оспанов Ospanov Kazakh41,068
5Иванов Ivanov Russian, "son of Ivan"39,296
6Алиев Aliev Kazakh, "son of Ali"36,084
7Сулейменов Suleimenov Kazakh, "son of Suleimen"33,940
8Искаков Iskakov Kazakh31,988
9Абдрахманов Abdrahmanov Kazakh, "son of Abdrahman"29,091
10Ибрагимов Ibragimov Kazakh, "son of Ibragim"28,755
11Калиев Kaliev Kazakh, "son of Kali"28,219
12Садыков Sadykov Kazakh, "son of Sadyk"27,810
13Ибраев Ibraev Kazakh26,531
14Кузнецов Kuznetsov Russian, "son of a blacksmith"25,990
15Попов Popov Russian, "son of a priest"24,956
16Смагулов Smagulov Kazakh24,005
17Абдуллаев Abdullaev Kazakh, "son of Abdulla"23,729
18Исаев Isaev Kazakh, "son of Isa"22,910
19Султанов Sultanov Kazakh, "son of Sultan"22,808
22Юсупов Iusupov Uzbek, "son of Yusup"22,763
21Исмаилов Ismailov Kazakh, "son of Ismail"21,392
22Нургалиев Nurgaliev Kazakh, "son of Nurgali"21,133
23Каримов Karimov Kazakh, "son of Karim"20,575
24Серік/Серик Serik Kazakh19 550
25Ли Li Korean17,049
26Цой Tsoi Korean12,088
27Амангельды Amangeldy Kazakh15,125
28Болат Bolat Kazakh11,234
29Бондаренко Bondarenko Ukrainian 10,648
30Марат Marat Kazakh, "Murad"10,417
31Серікбай/Серикбай Serıkbay/Serikbay Kazakh10,193
32Мурат Murat Kazakh, "Murad"10,106
33Кусаинов Kusainov Kazakh, "son of Kusain"10,103

Korea

Malaysia

Most Malaysians do not use a family last name. There is only a small number of ethnic groups which maintain family names.

Nepal

Surnames in Nepal are divided into three origins; Indo-Aryan languages, Tibeto-Burman languages and indigenous origins. Indo-Aryan surnames are more prevalent than Tibeto-Burman Languages and Indigenous Origins surnames.

1. Rai - Common Surnames of Nepalese/Himalayan Indigenous Nations/Natives. 2. Rai Clans/Septs (Confederation) - Bantawa, Chamling, Kulung, Mewahang, Bahing, Lohorung, Puma, Dumi, Dungmali, Nachhiring, Lingkhim/Lungkhim, Chhiling/Chhulung, Mugali/Lambichong, Athpahariya, Thulung, Khaling, Mewahang, Bayung, Yamphu, Tilung, Sampang, Wambule, Dewas, Jerung/Jero, Waling and Phangduwali. 3. Chamling La-Chamling Language-Rodung as Rai 5. Meaning of Rai - King

Philippines

Due to the 333 years of Spanish colonization of the Philippines, most Filipinos bear surnames of Spanish or other Iberian origin. Provided here is the list of the fifty most common Filipino surnames:

Rank [12] NameLanguage of originOccurrence (2014 est.)Ratio of populationProvinces with highest concentration
1 dela Cruz Spanish625,6401:162 Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Cavite, Rizal, Tarlac, Isabela
2 Garcia Spanish441,0751:230Pampanga, Metro Manila, Bulacan, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Tarlac, Quezon
3 Reyes Spanish412,7501:245Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Pangasinan, Quezon, Bataan, Tarlac
4 Ramos Spanish375,9991:268Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Isabela, Pampanga, Tarlac, Quezon, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte
5 Mendoza Spanish/Basque372,0421:272Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Quezon, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Tarlac, Oriental Mindoro
6 Santos Spanish342,7461:295Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Cavite, Tarlac
7 Flores Spanish312,1871:324Metro Manila, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Pampanga, Bulacan, Laguna, Pangasinan
8 Gonzales Spanish293,7871:345Metro Manila, Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Pampanga, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Rizal Pangasinan, Quezon
9 Bautista Spanish287,6251:352Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Laguna, Rizal, Tarlac, Isabela
10 Villanueva Spanish277,7301:365Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Negros Occidental, Laguna, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Iloilo, Rizal, Quezon, Nueva Ecija
11 Fernandez Spanish269,8201:375Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Cebu, Negros Occidental
12 Cruz Spanish262,8221:378Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Cavite, Bataan, Nueva Ecija
13 de Guzman Spanish249,3191:406Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Cavite, Rizal, Batangas, Laguna, Tarlac, Bataan, Isabela
14 Lopez Spanish230,9581:438Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas
15 Perez Spanish220,1131:460Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal
16 Castillo Spanish211,4051:479Metro Manila, Batangas, Laguna, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Isabela
17 Francisco Spanish207,8401:487Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Zamboanga del Sur, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occidental, Masbate, Antique, Camarines Sur, Aklan
18 Rivera Spanish184,5431:549Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite
19 Aquino Spanish183,0881:553Pangasinan, Metro Manila, Laguna, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Cavite, Tarlac, Batangas, Isabela
20 Castro Spanish173,6861:587Metro Manila, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac
21 Sanchez Spanish162,8861:622Metro Manila, Cebu, Pampanga, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Davao del Sur
22 Torres Spanish162,3531:624Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Negros Oriental, Cavite, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Tarlac, Batangas
23 de Leon Spanish156,6371:647Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Laguna, Pangasinan, Batangas, Bataan, Tarlac, Quezon, Isabela
24 Domingo Spanish147,6521:687Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Bulacan, Cagayan, Tarlac, Ilocos, Pangasinan, Rizal
25 Martinez Spanish143,3591:706Metro Manila, Cavite, Pangasinan, Rizal, Batangas, Laguna, Bulacan, Quezon
26 Rodriguez Spanish143,0721:708Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Bulacan, Negros Oriental, Camarines Sur, Laguna, Rizal, Pampanga
27 Santiago Spanish140,4751:721Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Cavite, Rizal, Isabela, Tarlac
28 Soriano Spanish140,2031:722Pangasinan, Metro Manila, Isabela, Cagayan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, La Union, Laguna, Tarlac, Benguet
29 delos Santos Spanish139,2291:727Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Zamboanga del Sur, Quezon, Camarines Norte
30 Diaz Spanish136,4491:742Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Cavite, Bulacan, Iloilo, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occidental, Rizal, Laguna
31 Hernandez Spanish135,7441:746Batangas, Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Quezon, Pampanga, Oriental Mindoro, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Nueva Ecija, Camarines Norte, Bataan
32 Tolentino Spanish133,0101:752Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Cavite, Tarlac, Rizal, Isabela, Bataan
33 Valdez Spanish132,4161:765Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Tarlac, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Rizal
34 Ramirez Spanish131,8291:768Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Laguna, Negros Oriental, Rizal
35 Morales Spanish129,9571:779Metro Manila, Pampanga, Cavite, Bulacan, Negros Occidental, Batangas
36 Mercado Spanish125,3141:808Metro Manila, Batangas, Pampanga, Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite, Quezon, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga
37 Tan Chinese (Hokkien) or Tausug 123,2901:821Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao del Sur
38 Aguilar Spanish121,6351:832Metro Manila, Iloilo, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Laguna, Pampanga, Quezon, Negros Occidental
39 Navarro Spanish113,9921:888Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Cebu, Pampanga, Bulacan
40 Manalo Tagalog 111,3361:909Batangas, Metro Manila, Pampanga, Quezon, Laguna, Cavite, Oriental Mindoro, Tarlac
41 Gomez Spanish108,8441:930Metro Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite
42 Dizon Chinese (Hokkien)106,5071:951Pampanga, Metro Manila, Tarlac, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Laguna
43 del Rosario Spanish105,2101:962Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Pampanga, Laguna, Isabela, Tarlac
44 Javier Spanish104,5151:969Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Quezon
45 Corpuz Latin104,0261:973Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Tarlac, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, La Union
46 Gutierrez Spanish103,3521:980Metro Manila, Batangas, Pampanga, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Rizal, Tarlac, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro Nueva Ecija
47 Salvador Spanish103,1171:982Metro Manila, Laguna, Bulacan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Rizal
48 Velasco Spanish101,3751:999Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Laguna, Cavite, Camarines Sur, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Pampanga, Isabela, Batangas, Quezon, Tarlac
49 Miranda Spanish101,2581:1000Metro Manila, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, Pangasinan, Batangas, Tarlac, Albay
50 David Kapampangan 100,6411:1006Pampanga, Metro Manila, Tarlac, Bulacan

Russia

See also: Список общерусских фамилий (in Russian Wikipedia)

The 20 most common widespread Russian surnames (for males) from the European part of Russia, as calculated by Balanovskaya et al. (2005): [13]

RankSurnameTransliterationMeaningPercentage [13]
1Смирно́в Smirnov son of Smirnoy (meek one)1.61
2Ивано́в Ivanov son of Ivan (John)1.30
3Кузнецо́в Kuznetsov smith's0.90
4Попо́в Popov priest's son0.79
5Соколо́в Sokolov falcon's0.73
6Ле́бедев Lebedev swan's0.65
7Козло́в Kozlov he-goat's; metaphorically: bearded one0.58
8Но́виков Novikov newman's; see novik for historical details0.54
9Моро́зов Morozov frost's0.53
10Петро́в Petrov son of Pyotr (Peter)0.44
11Во́лков Volkov wolf's0.44
12Соловьёв Solovyov nightingale's0.44
13Васи́льев Vasilyev son of Vasily (Basil)0.42
14За́йцев Zaytsev hare's0.41
15Па́влов Pavlov son of Pavel (Paul)0.39
16Семёнов Semyonov son of Semyon (Simon)0.35
17Го́лубев Golubev pigeon's0.32
18Виногра́дов Vinogradov grape's0.32
19Богда́нов Bogdanov son of Bogdan (given by God)0.31
20Воробьёв Vorobyov sparrow's0.30

Those Russian surnames that end with -ov/-ev or -in/-yn are originally patronymic or metronymic possessive adjectivals with the meaning 'son of' or 'daughter/wife of' (the feminine is formed with the -a ending – Smirnova, Ivanova, etc.). In older documents such surnames were written with the word syn 'son', for example, Ivánov syn 'John's son' or Il'yín syn 'Elijah's son'; the last word was later dropped. Such names are roughly equivalent to the English or Welsh surnames Richardson or Richards.

The Russian equivalent of 'Smith', 'Jones', and 'Brown' (that is, the generic most often used surnames) are Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov, or 'Johns', 'Peters', and 'Isidores', although Sidorov is now ranked only 66th. [13]

Sri Lanka

Many of the low country Sinhalese have Portuguese surnames as a result of Portuguese colonial rule in that area during the 16th and 17th centuries. Sinhalese native surnames have a Sanskrit origin. Tamils and Sri Lankan Moors have distinctive surnames for their own ethnicities.

Many Sinhalese surnames end with Singhe (Sinhala : සිංහ, lit. 'lion'), such as Jayasinghe, Ranasinghe, Samarasinghe.

Rank
(2014)
NameTotal Number
(2014)
Language of origin and meaning
1 Perera 862,080Portuguese
2 Fernando 520,965Portuguese
3 de Silva 299,772Portuguese
4 Bandara 227,388Sinhalese
5 Kumara 201,695Sinhalese
6 Dissanayake 172,612Sinhalese
7 Mohamed 154,874Arabic, of Sri Lankan Moor
8 Gamage 149,527Sinhalese
9 Liyanage 143,854Sinhalese
10 Jayasinghe 142,224Sinhalese
11 Ranasinghe 139,680Sinhalese
12 Herath 123,182Sinhalese
13 Weerasinghe 122,008Sinhalese
14 Peiris 115,944Portuguese
15 Rathnayake 102,902Sinhalese
16 Wickramasinghe 96,968Sinhalese
17 Wijesinghe 94,816Sinhalese
18 Hettiarachchi 87,512Sinhalese
19 Nanayakkara 78,057Sinhalese
20 Ahamed 74,601Arabic, of Sri Lankan Moor
21 Rajapaksha 71,144Sinhalese
22 Mendis 70,623Portuguese
23 Pathirana 70,297Sinhalese
24 Ekanayake 69,840Sinhalese
25 Gunasekara 69,384Sinhalese
26 Dias 67,623Portuguese
27 Sampath 67,232Sinhalese
28 Amarasinghe 64,949Sinhalese
29 Ratnayake 59,863Sinhalese
30 Chathuranga 58,754Sinhalese
31 Senanayake 55,037Sinhalese
32 Samarasinghe 54,320Sinhalese
33 Lakmal 53,733Sinhalese
34 Munasinghe 52,755Sinhalese
35 Rodrigo 51,777Portuguese
36 Seneviratne 51,581Sinhalese
37 Rathnayaka 49,886Sinhalese
38 Edirisinghe 48,516Sinhalese
39 Jayawardena 48,386Sinhalese
40 Fonseka 47,995Portuguese
41 Sanjeewa 47,147Sinhalese
42 Gunawardana 46,625Sinhalese
43 Gunawardena 45,386Sinhalese
44 Karunaratne 44,930Sinhalese
45 Jayaweera 43,495Sinhalese
46 Jayasekara 43,365Sinhalese
47 Ranaweera 42,387Sinhalese
48 Jayawardana 40,822Sinhalese
49 Jayasuriya 40,561Sinhalese
50 Madusanka 40,300Sinhalese

Taiwan

According to a comprehensive survey of residential permits released by the Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior's Department of Population in 2016, Taiwan has only 1,503 surnames. [14] The top ten surnames in Taiwan accounted for 52.77% of the general population, and the top 100 accounted for 96.56%.

Rank Character Romanizations  %
of total
pop.
2016Mainland
(2007)
Mandarin Cantonese Minnan Other
Trad. Simp. Pinyin Wade Jyutping HK Other POJ Other
15 Chén Ch'en2Can4ChanChunTânTing11.14%
219 Lín Lin2Lam4LamLumLîmLim, Liem8.31%
37 Huáng Huang2Wong4 Wong Wang
Vang Wung Vung
NgEng, Ung
Wee, Oei
Ooi, Uy
Bong
6.05%
43 Zhāng Chang 1Zoeng1 Cheung Chong5 Chung
Cheong4
TiuTeo, Teoh
Tio, Thio
Tiew
Tiong5.27%
52 Li3 Lei 5 Lee
Li
Le
Lei4
Lee
Lie
Dee
5.13%
61 Wáng Wang2Wong4 Wong Vong Ông HengWung4.11%
79 Wu2Ng4NgUng4, EngGô͘
Ngô͘
Goh, GouwWoo4.04%
84 Liú Liu2Lau4LauLao4
Lou
LâuLow
Lao, Lauw
3.16%
940 Cài Ts'ai4Coi3ChoiChoy
Tsoi
Toy
ChhoàChua, Choa
Tjoa
Tsay
Chai
2.91%
106 Yáng Yang2Joeng4YeungYeong
Ieong4
Eaw
Yeo, Yeoh
Yong
Joe, Yo
Young2.66%

Thailand

There are no common Thai surnames. Surnames were largely introduced to Thai culture only by the 1913 Surname Act. [15] The law does not allow one to create any surname that is duplicated with any existing surnames. [16] Under Thai law, only one family can create any given surname: any two people of the same surname must be related, and it is very rare for two people to share the same full name. In one sample of 45,665 names, 81% of family names were unique. [17]

Turkey

Rank [18] NameMeaning
1 Yılmaz intrepid/dauntless
2 Kaya rock
3 Demir iron
4 Şahin falcon/hawk
5 Çelik steel
6 Yıldız star
7 Yıldırım thunderbolt
8 Öztürk pure Turk
9 Aydın cultured/enlightened
10 Özdemir pure iron
11 Arslan lion
12 Doğan falcon
13 Kılıç sword
14 Aslan lion
15 Çetin stiff/tough
16 Kara black/dark
17 Koç ram
18 Kurt wolf
19 Özkan pure blood
20 Şimşek lightning

Vietnam

Rank [19] Name%
of total
pop.
Vietnamese Chữ Hán
1 Nguyễn 38%
2 Trần 11%
3 9.5%
4 Phạm 7.1%
5 Huỳnh/Hoàng 5.1%
6 Phan 4.5%
7 Vũ/Võ 3.9%
8 Đặng 2.1%
9 Bùi 2%
10 Đỗ 1.4%
11 Hồ 1.3%
12 Ngô 1.3%
13 Dương 1%
14 0.5%
15 Phí
16 Đào
17 Đoàn
18 Vương
19 Trịnh
20 Trương
21 Lâm
22 Phùng
23 Mai
24
25
26 Tạ
27 Thân
28 Trác
29 Tống
30 Hoa
31 Khúc
32 Từ
33 Thường
34 Tiêu
35 Ngọ
36 Kim
37 Quách
38 Đàm
39 Triệu
40 Mạc
41 Thái
42 Lưu
43 Thạch
44 Lương

Due to historical contact with Chinese dynasties, Vietnamese has adopted names originating from Middle Chinese. Vietnam is in the East Asian cultural sphere.

See also

Notes

  1. Most common surname in the world.
  2. 2nd most common surname in the world.
  3. 3rd most common surname in the world.
  4. 5th most common surname in the world.
  5. 4th most common in world (most popular Chinese surname in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Southeast Asia, and places overseas from mainland China)
  6. 7th most common surname in the world.
  7. 9th most common surname in the world.
  8. 10th most common surname in the world.

Related Research Articles

Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the Western tradition in which surnames are written last. Around 2,000 Han Chinese surnames are currently in use, but the great proportion of Han Chinese people use only a relatively small number of these surnames; 19 surnames are used by around half of the Han Chinese people, while 100 surnames are used by around 87% of the population. A report in 2019 gives the most common Chinese surnames as Wang and Li, each shared by over 100 million people in China. The remaining eight of the top ten most common Chinese surnames are Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Huang, Zhao, Wu and Zhou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhang (surname)</span> Surname list

Zhang ( ) is the third most common surname in China and Taiwan, and it is one of the most common surnames in the world. Zhang is the pinyin romanization of the very common Chinese surname written in simplified characters and in traditional characters. It is spoken in the first tone: Zhāng. It is a surname that exists in many languages and cultures, corresponding to the surname 'Archer' in English for example. In the Wade-Giles system of romanization, it is romanized as "Chang", which is commonly used in Taiwan; "Cheung" is commonly used in Hong Kong as romanization.

Lu is the pinyin and Wade–Giles romanization of several distinct Chinese surnames that are written with different characters in Chinese. Depending on the character, it may be spelled , , or when pinyin tone diacritics are used. Lu 盧 and Lu 陸 are the most common: both are among the 100 most common surnames in China. Languages using the Latin alphabet do not distinguish among the different Chinese surnames, rendering them all as Lu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chang (surname)</span> Surname list

Chang is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname (Cháng). It was listed 80th among the Song-era Hundred Family Surnames.

Liang is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin. The surname is often transliterated as Leung or Leong according to its Cantonese and Hakka pronunciation, Neo / Nio / Niu, or Liong (Fuzhou). In Indonesia, it is known as Liong or Nio. It is also common in Korea, where it is written Yang (양) or Ryang (량). In Vietnam, it is pronounced as Lương.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhuang (surname)</span> Surname list

Zhuang is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in simplified character and in traditional character. It's usually romanized as "Chuang" in Taiwan based in Wade-Giles. It is spoken in the first tone: Zhuāng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin (surname)</span> Surname list

Lin is the Mandarin romanization of the Chinese surname written 林. It is also used in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.

Smirnov or Smirnova is one of the two most common surnames in Russia. Smirnov is derived from an adjectival nickname smirnyj, that means "quiet, still, peaceful, gentle".

Su is the pinyin romanization of the common Chinese surname written in simplified characters and traditionally.

Chai is a Chinese surname. The same surname is Sài in Vietnamese, and Si in Korean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li (surname 李)</span> Surname list

Li or Lee is a common Chinese surname, it is the 4th name listed in the famous Hundred Family Surnames. Li is one of the most common surnames in Asia, shared by 92.76 million people in China, and more than 100 million in Asia. It is the second-most common surname in China as of 2018, the second-most common surname in Hong Kong, the most common surname in Macau and the 5th most common surname in Taiwan, where it is usually romanized as "Lee". The surname is pronounced as in Cantonese, (poj) in Taiwanese Hokkien, but is often spelled as "Lee" in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and many overseas Chinese communities. In Macau, it is also spelled as "Lei". In Indonesia it is commonly spelled as "Lie". The common Korean surname, "Lee", and the Vietnamese surname, "", are both derived from Li and written with the same Chinese character (李). The character also means "plum" or "plum tree".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lu (surname 魯)</span> Chinese family name

is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in simplified character and in traditional character. It is also spelled Lo according to the Cantonese and Hokkien pronunciation, and Luu in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization of Mandarin. Lu 鲁 is listed 49th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. As of 2008, Lu 鲁 is the 115th most common surname in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ji (surname 纪)</span> Chinese family name

is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in simplified Chinese and in traditional Chinese. It is romanized as Chi in Wade–Giles, and Kei in Cantonese. Ji is the 136th most common surname in China, with a population of 1.1 million. It is listed 122nd in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. It is 42nd in the Hundred Family Surnames, contained in the verse 熊紀舒屈.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ji (surname 蓟)</span> Chinese family name

is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in simplified Chinese and in traditional Chinese. It is romanized as Chi in Wade–Giles and Gai or Kai in Cantonese. Ji is listed 263rd in the Song Dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. It is not among the 300 most common surnames in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ji (surname 吉)</span> Chinese family name

is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized as Chi in Wade–Giles, and Gat in Cantonese. Ji is the 195th most common surname in China, with a population of 490,000. It is listed 190th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ji (surname 冀)</span> Chinese family name

is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized as Chi in Wade–Giles, and Kei in Cantonese. Ji is the 294th most common surname in China, with a population of 160,000. It is listed 316th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ji (surname 季)</span> Surname list

is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized as Chi in Wade–Giles, and Gwai in Cantonese. Ji is the 142nd most common surname in China, with a population of 960,000. It is listed the 134th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.

Chao is a surname in various cultures. It is the Pinyin spelling of two Chinese surnames, the Wade–Giles spelling of two others, and a regional or other spelling of two additional Chinese surnames. It is also a Galician and Portuguese surname.

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  9. Beider, Alexander & al. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu (New York), 1993. Zeichner, Saul. Kolomea Research Group. "Surnames of Interest: Origins and/or Meanings". 3 Nov 2010. Accessed 1 Feb 2012.
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  12. "Most Common Filipino Surnames and Meaning". Forebears: Names & Genealogy Resources.
  13. 1 2 3 Балановская Е. В.; Балановский О. П. (2007). Русский генофонд на Русской равнине (in Russian). Moscow. pp. 165–216. ISBN   978-5-87140-267-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) See also the web version Archived 9 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine of the list.
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  15. "What's in a name? The number nine, if you want". Asian Times.[ dead link ]
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  17. 45,665 Thai names: Examining passlist.96 Archived 26 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine , by Doug Cooper
  18. Turkish Directorate-General of Population and Citizenships Archived 26 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
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