Liǎo Surname

Surname Overview

Liao and Liaosurname

In ancient usage, 蓼 and 廖 were the same character, and the 蓼 and 廖 surnames were treated as equivalent.

Reference: 蓼国廖氏-根亲文化-信阳市人民政府门户网站

Origins

Origins in Liao State

The surname’s origin is traced to the time of Emperor Shun: Yu enfeoffed Gao Tao’s grandson Lei at Liao Mountain, and after about 1,300 years the State of Liao was conquered by Chu during the Spring and Autumn period.

Reference: 蓼国廖氏-根亲文化-信阳市人民政府门户网站

Another Origin Tradition

Another tradition holds that the surname originated from Liao Shu’an, a descendant of Zhuanxu.

Reference: 蓼国廖氏-根亲文化-信阳市人民政府门户网站

Migration and Distribution

Migration to Eastern Liao

King Gao Kun of Liao led his people eastward along the Huai River and established Eastern Liao in present-day Gushi County, Henan. Eighty years later, Gao Shen fled again and instructed his people to take the state’s name as their surname.

Reference: 蓼国廖氏-根亲文化-信阳市人民政府门户网站

Distribution in the Central Plains and Huai Region

Afterward, descendants of the 蓼 surname became dispersed across the Central Plains and the Jianghuai region.

Reference: 蓼国廖氏-根亲文化-信阳市人民政府门户网站