Xiong (surname)


Xiong is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 熊. It is 41st in the Hundred Family Surnames, contained in the verse 熊紀舒屈.

Romanizations

熊 is also romanized as Hsiung2 in Wade-Giles. It is Hung or Hong in Cantonese; Him in Hokkien, Hong or Yoong in Hakka; Hiōng in Gan; Hùng in Vietnamese; and Xyooj in Hmong.
Note that "Hong" and "Hung" may also refer to the unrelated surname 洪.

Distribution

熊 is the 71st most common surname in mainland China.
Although Chinese make up the largest part of America's Asian and Pacific Islander population, none of the romanizations of 熊 appeared among the 1000 most common surnames during the AD 2000 US census.

Origins

Xiong's literal meaning is "bear", Xiong is branch to Mi of Chu.
Xiong traces back to the legendary Chinese culture hero Fuxi, who was also styled "Huangxiong". One archaic form of the surname combined this into a single character.
Yuxiong, the progenitor of Chu, was the tutor of King Wen of Zhou and died during his reign.
After Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, Yuxiong's descendants took Xiong as their clan name and remained prominent at court.
King Wen's grandson King Cheng of Zhou awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi the hereditary title of zǐ and the fiefdom of Chu. As it grew in power and importance, the Xiong dynasty formed its ruling house and the ruling houses of some of its successor states. To this day, the surname remains prominent in the provinces comprising the former territory of Chu.

List of persons with the surname

Xiong