Surname Overview
Surname Origins Overview
Traditionally, the Xiao surname is generally considered to have originated from Xiao Shuda Xin of the Song ruling clan, who was enfeoffed in Xiao after gaining merit by executing Nangong Changwan.
Xiao Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 92,689Xiao / Xiao
Origins
Early Regions and Local Origins
After the fall of Xiao, its ruling clan and inhabitants lived between Lu, Song, and Chu, especially around the former territory of Xiao and nearby Fengpei and Lanling. Around the Qin-Han transition, some local commoners also adopted Xiao as a surname based on their place of residence.
Historical Records
Early Attestations
Before the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Xiao families appearing in historical records were the Xiao He family from Peijun and the Xiao Wangzhi family from Lanling; the Book of Han did not record a relationship between them.
Migration and Distribution
Migration and Regional Distribution
Around the Han-Jin transition, the families of Xiao He and Xiao Wangzhi spread to various regions, partly through official appointments. After the Yongjia upheaval at the end of the Western Jin, large numbers of aristocratic families moved south across the Yangtze, and Xiao Zheng settled with his whole family in Nanlanling County. The Xiao surname entered Taiwan in the early Qing period.
Notable People
The Lanling Xiao Line and Southern Qi and Liang
The descendants of Xiao Zheng, Xiao Daocheng and Xiao Yan, respectively founded the Southern Qi and Southern Liang dynasties, establishing the historical prominence of the Lanling Xiao lineage.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Family Statistics
The 23Mofang family database currently contains 679 Xiao families across 15 provinces, including 334 Taiwan Xiao families and 161 Hunan Xiao families.
Continue your family research
Start with ancestral counties, villages, personal names and dates. Record genealogy titles, volumes, editions and catalog identifiers. A shared surname does not prove a shared lineage; compare branch records.
Surname attestation references
These catalogs or datasets attest written names, not every origin or lineage claim on this page.
This page includes automatically organized material. Check the references and original family documents.
Add or correct information
Submit the information and a reference link for possible inclusion on this page.