Surname Overview
The Hong surname has a history of at least 1,800 years and has mainly been active in Jiangxi, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang.
Hong Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 1,831,469Hong / Hung
Origins
Principal Origins
The Hong surname has two major origins, from the Gong and Hong lineages: one Gong branch changed its surname to Hong to avoid danger, while one Hong branch changed it to avoid taboos.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestations
The Yuanhe Xing Zuan records that the Hong surname came from descendants of Gonggong who originally bore Gong and changed it to Hong to avoid enmity; the Xing Shi Xun Yuan further explains this as adding the water radical to the left of Gong.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Hong Hao was a native of Poyang in the Southern Song and was detained for fifteen years after serving as an envoy to Jin. His sons Hong Kuo, Hong Zun, and Hong Mai all achieved distinction and were known together as the “Three Hongs.”
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