Surname Overview
A Rare Surname
Zhao (Zhào) is a relatively rare surname currently used among Han Chinese; it ranks 958th, with a population of about 4,000.
Zhào Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 1Zhào / Chao
Origins
Descendants of Hou Zhao
The Zhao surname is recorded as descending from the ancient figure Hou Zhao and as having been formed from an ancestor's personal name.
Migration and Distribution
Geographic Distribution
The Zhao surname is found in Changli, Hebei; Jincheng, Yuncheng, and Taiyuan, Shanxi; Pingyi and Xintai, Shandong; Lengshuijiang, Youxian, and Xiangtan, Hunan; Shaowu, Fujian; Qiubei, Yunnan; and Shangyu, Zhejiang.
Notable People
Early Figures
Recorded early figures include Zhao Jian, a grandee of Yan during the Spring and Autumn period, and Zhao Yuan of the Tang dynasty.
Research Notes
Doubt over the Hou-Surname Theory
The explanation that Zhao derived from a surname Hou is doubtful because hou was an ancient title for rulers; the hou in Hou Yi and Hou Ji was not a surname.
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Surname attestation references
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