Chao / Chao
The surname Chao is pronounced chao in the first tone, using the same character and pronunciation as the character in “banknotes.” It is relatively rare, with scattered distribution across several Chinese provinces today, and Henan is an important settlement area.
The main branch of the Chao surname originated with Nipanggu Chaowu, a general of the Nipanggu tribe of the Jin state during the Song and Jin period. His descendants used a homophonically chosen Chinese character based on “Chaowu” as their surname, which later became the single-character surname Chao.
Reference: 钞姓怎么读？起源、分布与历史，详解这个稀有姓氏的奥秘 - 百度文库
Another branch of the Chao surname is related to or shares an origin with the Chao surname written “抄,” and mainly comes from the Mongol people. One branch originated in the Mongol Qiyan tribe and descended from Chochin Ortegai, the youngest son of Genghis Khan’s sixth-generation ancestor, Khaidu.
Reference: 钞姓怎么读？起源、分布与历史，详解这个稀有姓氏的奥秘 - 百度文库
In the mid-Ming dynasty, some Mongol descendants adopted surnames based on homophones of their ancestors’ names, forming the surnames written “抄” and “钞.”
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