Surname Overview
Pronunciation and Form
The surname 杲 is pronounced gǎo in the third tone. Its character consists of 日 above 木 and is easily misread as 呆 or 高, or confused with 杳.
杲 Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 152Origins
Origin Traditions
The origin of the Gao surname is not definitively settled. One widely circulated tradition holds that some clanspeople, said to be Ming loyalists or their descendants, adopted 杲 to commemorate the Ming dynasty; a Gao ancestral hall exists in Pizhou, Jiangsu.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestation
The surname 杲 is included in Xingyuan, whose entry is also cited by Zhongwen Dazidian.
Migration and Distribution
Geographic Distribution
The Gao surname is found in Wuqing, Tianjin; Dongping, Huimin, and Xintai in Shandong; Taiyuan in Shanxi; Burqin in Xinjiang; Fengshun in Guangdong; Longhua in Hebei; Xiaoshan in Zhejiang; Minle in Gansu; Wujin in Jiangsu; Jiading in Shanghai; Beijing; and Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Chiayi in Taiwan.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Gao Yuanqi was a poet of the Yuan dynasty; Gao Wenkui served as an education instructor during the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty.
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