Kang Surname

Origins

Native Origins of the Kang Surname

One native branch of the Kang surname traces back to the Zhou dynasty: Kang Shu was enfeoffed in Kang land in the state of Wei, and his descendants took Kang as their surname from that fief, forming the Ji-surname Kang lineage.

Reference: 如果你是这个姓氏，可能祖上是乌兹别克人，一千多年前迁入中国_康姓_康居_中原

Western Regions Origin

Another branch of the Kang surname came from Kangju in the Western Regions. After a Kangju prince settled in China during the Han dynasty, his descendants adopted Kang, the name of their country, as their surname.

Reference: 如果你是这个姓氏，可能祖上是乌兹别克人，一千多年前迁入中国_康姓_康居_中原

Historical Records

Evidence of Settlement in the Central Plains

Tang-dynasty epitaphs unearthed in Xi'an and Luoyang include epitaphs of people surnamed Kang, showing that members of the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu had settled in the Central Plains.

Reference: 如果你是这个姓氏，可能祖上是乌兹别克人，一千多年前迁入中国_康姓_康居_中原

Migration and Distribution

Kang migration broadly passed through sporadic eastward movement in the Han dynasty, smaller-scale eastward movement during the Northern and Southern dynasties, and a peak during the Sui and Tang dynasties. After the An Lushan Rebellion, some Kang families moved south to avoid conflict, spreading to Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, Shanxi, Hebei, Anhui, and other areas.

Reference: 如果你是这个姓氏，可能祖上是乌兹别克人，一千多年前迁入中国_康姓_康居_中原

Notable People

Historical Figure: Kang Kunlun

Kang Kunlun of the Tang dynasty was a pipa virtuoso from the Western Regions. He became famous in Chang'an during the Zhenyuan era and was known as the foremost pipa player of the Zhenyuan era.

Reference: 如果你是这个姓氏，可能祖上是乌兹别克人，一千多年前迁入中国_康姓_康居_中原

Research Notes

Limits of Tracing Kangju Ancestry

The exact number of people among today's Kang-surname population who can trace their ancestry to Kangju is difficult to determine.

Reference: 如果你是这个姓氏，可能祖上是乌兹别克人，1000多年前迁入中国_康姓_康居_中原