Surname Overview
Overview
The surname Shao (绍) is pronounced shào. It is a multi-ethnic surname with an early origin, currently relatively uncommon, ranked 875th in the latest surname ranking, with a population of about 6,000.
Shao Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 12Shao / Shao
Origins
One line of the Shao surname derives from the Jiang surname and descends from Qi Taigong in the Spring and Autumn period; records also identify Shao as a surname among Manchu people in the Qing dynasty.
Migration and Distribution
Distribution
The Shao surname is widely distributed, occurring in Wuqing, Tianjin, Yutai and Pingdu in Shandong, among other places; it is also recorded in Lin County in Henan, Zhongjiang in Sichuan, Taipei, Taoyuan and Pingtung in Taiwan, and Baoshan in Yunnan.
Research Notes
Origin Debate
The specific identity meant by “descendants of Qi Taigong had the Shao surname” is disputed: one view traces it to the Gui surname and the descendants of the Warring States Qi Taigong, while another identifies the descendants as those of Jiang Ziya, the founding ruler of Qi in the Zhou period.
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