Quick Answer: What Is the Zhao Surname?
The Zhao surname (赵／趙，zhào) uses Mandarin’s fourth tone. 赵 and 趙 are its simplified and traditional character forms.[1][2]
- Early tradition: An ancient account connects the name with a grant of Zhao city.
- Imperial association: Zhao was the family name of the Song founder.
- Personal spellings: Institutional records show Zhao, Chao and Chiu for 趙.
Neither an imperial association nor a matching Latin spelling establishes a household’s pedigree.
Zhao appears in several different settings: an ancient place-name story, a ruling family and the opening of a familiar surname primer. Each tells us something different about the name.
赵 and 趙: Reading and Early Written Evidence
The Ministry of Education lists 趙 as a surname pronounced zhào. CUHK’s character database pairs traditional 趙 with simplified 赵.[1][2]
The database explains 趙 using a movement-related component and a phonetic component. It associates the word with rapid walking and records bronze inscriptions where the character appears in personal names and as a family name.[2]
These written examples are evidence of early name usage. They do not independently verify every episode in the traditional founder narrative.
The Zhao Place Name and the Zaofu Account
Shiji (史记／史記，shǐjì), volume 43, relates that the charioteer Zaofu (造父，zào fǔ) served King Mu of Zhou and received Zhao city as a reward. The text presents this grant as the beginning of the Zhao family name. It later describes a descendant entering the service of Jin.[3]
Read this as an account preserved by an ancient historian. It supplies a tradition to investigate, not a continuous documentary chain from Zaofu to every living Zhao family.
Zhao in Song History and the Hundred Family Surnames
Songshi (宋史，sòngshǐ) identifies Zhao Kuangyin (赵匡胤／趙匡胤，zhào kuāngyìn), the Song founding emperor, as surnamed 趙. That imperial association belongs to a much later historical setting than the ancient grant narrative.[4]
| Contexte | Ce que les sources permettent d’établir |
|---|---|
| Ancient place-name account | Shiji links Zaofu’s Zhao grant with the family name.[3] |
| Song ruling family | Songshi identifies the founder’s surname as 趙.[4] |
| Traditional surname primer | The Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓，bǎijiāxìng) begins with 趙.[5] |
A primer’s first position is not a population ranking. 2019 mainland rank: 8th.[9]
Zhao, Chao and Chiu in Actual Names
HKUST records Jidong Zhao (赵吉东／趙吉東，zhào jídōng) with the spelling Zhao.[6]
Academia Sinica records Anne Chao (赵莲菊／趙蓮菊，zhào liánjú), while HKUST records Frankie Chi Yuk Chiu (赵慈旭／趙慈旭，zhào cíxù). The surname character is 趙 in each institutional record, despite the different Latin spellings.[7][8]
Mandarin pinyin helps explain pronunciation; it should not silently replace an individual’s established spelling.
How to Compare Zhao Family Records
- Preserve the complete Chinese name beside its original Latin spelling.
- Compare relatives, dates, places and the identity of the record’s creator.
- Require links between generations before assigning a royal branch or joining separate households.
FAQs About the Zhao Surname
Does the Zhao Surname Prove Song Royal Descent?
No. The Song founder’s surname is documented, but a present-day family needs its own supporting records to establish a relationship.[4]
Does Being First in the Hundred Family Surnames Mean Most Common?
No. The traditional text places 趙 first. This is its literary order, not a census result; the name’s Song imperial association is a separate historical fact.[4][5]
Can Chao or Chiu Represent 趙?
Yes. The institutional profiles above provide actual examples. Confirm the Chinese name rather than identifying a family from Latin letters alone.[7][8]
Sources
[1] Ministry of Education. 趙: Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary
[2] CUHK. 趙: Multi-function Chinese Character Database
[3] Sima Qian. Shiji, volume 43: Zhao hereditary house
[4] Songshi compilers. Songshi, volume 1: Founding emperor
[5] Anonymous. Hundred Family Surnames
[6] HKUST. Jidong Zhao
[7] Academia Sinica. Anne Chao
[8] HKUST. Frankie Chi Yuk Chiu
[9] Ministry of Public Security, via reproduced report. 2019 National Name Report