Our answer
China’s 35th most common surname 董
The character means ‘to supervise’ or ‘to direct’ and is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese
The short answer
Dong (董, Dǒng) is a Chinese surname, ranked 35th in China’s 2019 Ministry of Public Security list. The character means ‘to supervise’ or ‘to direct’. Legend traces it to Dong Fu, who reared dragons for Emperor Shun. It is most common in Shandong, and spelled Tung in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
| In Chinese | 董, written the same in simplified and traditional characters |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Dǒng (third tone) |
| Rank in China (2019) | No. 35 (Ministry of Public Security) |
| Other spellings | Tung (Wade–Giles; Hong Kong and Taiwan), Tong, Dung (Cantonese romanisation), Đổng (Vietnamese) |
| Meaning of the character | To supervise, to direct; director |
| Largest in | Shandong (2013) |
| Population | About 6.77 million, 0.51% of China’s population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
Origins of the Dong surname
The best-known legend is about Dong Fu (董父), a man skilled at understanding and raising dragons. Tradition says the sage-emperor Shun appointed him as his dragon-keeper, with the title 豢龙氏 (Huànlóng Shì, ‘dragon-rearer’), gave him land at Zongchuan (鬷川), near today’s Dingtao in Shandong, and granted him the surname Dong.
A second account takes the name from an office. Under the Zhou dynasty, a son of the official Xin You (辛有) served as grand historian (太史) of the state of Jin, in charge of its records; his descendants inherited the post and took a surname from it, following the old custom of naming a family after its office. A third tradition traces the name to Canhu (参胡), a son of the legendary Lu Zhong (陆终).
As an ordinary word, 董 means ‘to supervise’ or ‘to direct’, and as a noun it means ‘director’. For how surnames and given names fit together, see our guide to Chinese names.[1][2][5]
How Dong is spelled around the world
The character is the same everywhere; the spelling follows the local language or romanisation system.[1]
| Spelling | Where | Language or system |
|---|---|---|
| Dong | Mainland China | Mandarin, pinyin |
| Tung | Hong Kong, Taiwan; older Western books | Cantonese and Mandarin (Wade–Giles) |
| Tong | Some Hong Kong, Taiwanese and overseas families | Various |
| Dung | Cantonese dictionaries and teaching | Cantonese, Jyutping |
| Đổng | Vietnam | Sino-Vietnamese |
Where the Dong surname is most common
Dong was the 35th most common surname in mainland China in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. The 100 most common surnames in that list together cover 85.9% of China’s registered population, out of more than 6,000 surnames in use.
Fuxi Institution figures for 2013 put the number of people called Dong at about 6.77 million, or 0.51% of the population, with Shandong the province with the most. That fits the legend, which places Dong Fu’s land near Dingtao, in Shandong.
Unlike southern names such as Cai, Dong does not appear among the 30 most common surnames in Taiwan.[2][3][4]
Famous people named Dong
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Dong Zhongshu | 董仲舒 | Han dynasty Confucian philosopher (179–104 BC) |
| Dong Yuan | 董源 | Painter of the Southern Tang (c. 934–c. 962) |
| Dong Qichang | 董其昌 | Ming painter, calligrapher and art theorist (1555–1636) |
| Dong Mingzhu | 董明珠 | Businesswoman (born 1954) |
| Dong Qing | 董卿 | Television host (born 1973) |
| Dong Jie | 董洁 | Actress and dancer (born 1980) |
| Dong Dong | 董栋 | Trampoline gymnast, Olympic champion (born 1989) |
| WinWin (Dong Sicheng) | 董思成 | Singer and actor, member of NCT and WayV (born 1997) |
Questions readers ask
What does the Dong surname mean?
The character 董 means ‘to supervise’ or ‘to direct’. One tradition says the surname was granted to Dong Fu, Emperor Shun’s dragon-keeper; another that it came from an official post in the state of Jin.
Is Dong a Chinese last name?
Yes. Dong (董) is a Chinese family name, the 35th most common in mainland China in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list.
How common is Dong in China?
It ranked 35th in 2019. Fuxi Institution figures for 2013 put the number of people called Dong at about 6.77 million, 0.51% of the population, with the most in Shandong.
How do you pronounce Dong?
Dǒng, with the dipping third tone. The vowel is closer to the ‘oo’ in ‘book’ than to the ‘o’ in ‘dog’, so it sounds roughly like ‘doong’.
Is Tung the same as Dong?
Often, yes. Tung is the Wade–Giles spelling of 董 and the usual spelling in Hong Kong. Some families also use Tong.
Who is the most famous person named Dong?
Historically, the Han philosopher Dong Zhongshu and the Ming painter Dong Qichang. Well-known modern Dongs include the businesswoman Dong Mingzhu, the television host Dong Qing and the Olympic trampoline champion Dong Dong.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Dong (Chinese surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 董姓 · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames (Ministry of Public Security 2019 ranking; Fuxi Institution 2013 figures; Taiwan 2016) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- The Paper (澎湃新闻), 公安部发布最新百家姓 (20 January 2020) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- MDBG Chinese–English dictionary, 董 · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction