![]() Yao surname in regular script | |
Pronunciation | Yáo (Pinyin) Iâu (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) |
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Language(s) | Chinese |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Old Chinese |
Word/name | Henan Fan County or Shandong[1] |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Yao (Mandarin) Yiu (Cantonese) Lao, Lau, Yeow (Hokkien) Diêu, Dao (Vietnamese) Yo (Korean) Yō (Japanese) |
Yao (Chinese: 姚; pinyin: Yáo), also romanized as Yiu in Cantonese, is one of the most ancient Chinese surnames, the "Eight Great Xings of High Antiquity". It is also unique that, along with Jiang 姜 it is still in common use in the modern day. It is listed 101st in the Hundred Family Surnames, and as the 51st most common surname in Mainland China.[2]