Mao Surname

Surname Overview

Mao is a Chinese surname pronounced mào. It is an ancient surname with multiple origins and ethnic backgrounds; it is outside the top 300 surnames in mainland China today and is mainly distributed in Shandong and Shanxi.

Reference: 冒姓 _ 百科

Origins

Feng-Surname Origin

The Feng-origin Mao lineage is traced to the fief of Mao, granted in the early Western Zhou to descendants of the Tang lineage; it took the fief’s name as its surname. Located in present-day Dangshan, Suzhou, Anhui, it is pronounced mào and venerates Fuxi as its founding ancestor.

Reference: 冒姓 _ 百科

Zi-Surname Origin

The Zi-origin Mao lineage comes from the state of Mao during the Shang dynasty and took the state’s name as its surname. Mao was written 冃 in ancient form; its ruler was called Mao Bo. The lineage is pronounced mào and venerates Mao Bo as its founding ancestor.

Reference: 冒姓 _ 百科

Mi-Surname Origin

The Mi-origin Mao lineage comes from the Chu ruler Fen Mao, also written Fen Mao with the character 棼, and was later simplified to Mao. This lineage is pronounced wèi and venerates Chu Fen Mao as its founding ancestor.

Reference: 冒姓 _ 百科

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commandery Seats

The Mao surname is chiefly associated with the commanderies of Xingyang, Dangshan, and Hailing.

Reference: 冒姓 _ 百科

Migration and Distribution

Rugao Lineage Record

In the mid-Zhiping period of the Northern Song, Mao Jingchen of Rugao, Jiangsu, served as a Judicial Court Assistant. The Rugao Mao lineage may have descended from migrants of the late Tang, and the Genealogical Origins of Surnames describes it as a prominent lineage from the Song to the present.

Reference: 冒姓 _ 百科