Gao (surname)


Gao is an East Asian surname of China in origin that can be literally translated as "high" or "tall". There are approximately 16 million living people with this surname. Some places, such as Taiwan, usually romanise this family name into Kao. In Hong Kong, it is romanized to Ko. In Macau, it is romanized to Kou. In 2019 it was the 19th most common surname in Mainland China.

Romanisation and pronunciation

Origin

According to Lüshi Chunqiu, the earliest figure with the Gao surname was Gao Yuan who created dwellings in antiquity. Zhuanxu, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, was also known as Gao Yang.
Another origin of Gao is the Jiang surname. According to the Song dynasty encyclopedia Tongzhi, an early ancestor was Gao Xi who was granted the surname Gao in honour of his grandfather Prince Gao. Prince Gao was the son of Duke Wen of the state of Qi whose ancestral name was Jiang.
Many non-Han Chinese used the surname Gao:

Historical