Our answer
China’s 29th most common surname 冯
A surname traced to the land of Feng, granted as a fief in the Spring and Autumn period
The short answer
Feng (冯, traditional 馮, Féng) is a Chinese surname ranked 29th in China by the Ministry of Public Security in 2019. It refers to the ancient land of Feng, whose holders took its name as their surname. The character combines ‘horse’ with an ice radical and has the sense ‘to gallop’. In Hong Kong it is spelled Fung.
| In Chinese | 冯 (simplified), 馮 (traditional) |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Féng (second, rising tone) |
| Rank in China (2019) | 29th, Ministry of Public Security list of the 100 most common surnames |
| Other spellings | Fung (Hong Kong), Fong and Foong (Cantonese, Macau), Pang and Phang (Hokkien and Teochew), Phùng (Vietnamese) |
| Meaning of the character | ‘Horse’ (马) with an ice radical, suggesting speed or galloping; as a surname, the ancient land of Feng |
| Largest in | Guangdong, the province with the most people named Feng (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
| Population | About 8.18 million, 0.62% of China’s population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
Origins of the Feng surname
Traditional genealogies trace the Feng family back to Gao, Duke of Bi (毕公高), the fifteenth son of King Wen of Zhou, whose clan surname was Ji (姬). According to the Chinese account, his descendant Bi Wan (毕万) served the state of Jin, which gave him the territory of Wei and the town of Feng as his fief. Bi Wan’s descendants who held Feng took it as their surname, while those of Wei became the Wei (魏) family, so the two surnames are said to share an ancestor.
Another account tells of an official of the state of Zheng, Feng Jianzi, who was given the land of Feng in present-day Henan. Where exactly Feng lay is disputed: one view places it at Fengyi near Dali in Shaanxi, south-east of the old capital Chang’an, another near Xingyang in Henan.
In later centuries the Feng of Yingchuan (颍川) and Shangdang (上党) commanderies were well-known gentry families, and another branch was associated with Changle (长乐).[3][4][5]
How Feng is spelled around the world
| Spelling | Where | Language or system |
|---|---|---|
| Feng | Mainland China, Taiwan and the West | Mandarin, pinyin and Wade–Giles |
| Fung | Hong Kong | Cantonese |
| Fong, Foong | Macau and other Cantonese-speaking communities | Cantonese |
| Pang, Phang | Chaozhou, southern Fujian, Singapore and Malaysia | Teochew and Hokkien |
| Pung | Hakka communities | Hakka |
| Pangestu | Indonesia | Indonesian adaptation |
| Phùng | Vietnam | Vietnamese |
Where the Feng surname is most common
Feng was the 29th most common surname in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. The Fuxi Institution’s 2013 ranking placed it 28th, with about 8.18 million people, or 0.62% of the population, and Guangdong the province with the most. The top 100 surnames together cover 85.9% of China’s registered population.
The family’s traditional homelands are in the north, in Shaanxi and Henan, but the large number of Fengs in Guangdong is reflected in the Cantonese spellings Fung and Fong found in Hong Kong, Macau and overseas communities. In the Song dynasty *Hundred Family Surnames* (百家姓) Feng comes ninth.[1][2][4]
Famous people named Feng
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Empress Dowager Feng (442–490) | 冯太后 | Empress and empress dowager of the Northern Wei dynasty |
| Feng Menglong (1574–1646) | 冯梦龙 | Late Ming scholar and writer, known for collections of vernacular fiction |
| Feng Ru (1883–1912) | 冯如 | Aviator, the first Chinese person known to have flown in America |
| Feng Xiaogang (born 1958) | 冯小刚 | Film director |
| Feng Gong (born 1957) | 冯巩 | Xiangsheng (crosstalk) comedian |
| Shanshan Feng (born 1989) | 冯珊珊 | Golfer |
| Feng Tianwei (born 1986) | 冯天薇 | China-born Singaporean Olympic table tennis player |
| Stephen Fung (born 1974) | 冯德伦 | Hong Kong actor and director |
| Yuan-Cheng Fung (1919–2019) | 冯元桢 | Scientist, a founding figure of bioengineering and biomechanics |
Questions readers ask
What does the Feng surname mean?
The character 冯 combines 马 (‘horse’) with an ice radical and carries the sense of galloping. As a surname it comes from the ancient land of Feng, a fief whose holders took its name as their surname.
Is Feng a Chinese last name?
Yes. Feng (冯) is the 29th most common surname in China in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list, and ninth in the traditional Hundred Family Surnames.
How common is the Feng surname in China?
The Fuxi Institution estimated about 8.18 million people named Feng in 2013, around 0.62% of the population, with Guangdong the province with the most.
How do you pronounce Feng?
In pinyin it is Féng, with a rising second tone. The e is a short, neutral vowel, so the name sounds roughly like ‘fung’, which is also how it is spelled in Hong Kong.
Is Fung the same as Feng?
Yes, usually. Fung is the Cantonese spelling of 冯 used in Hong Kong, as with the actor and director Stephen Fung (冯德伦). Fong and Foong are other Cantonese spellings.
Is Pang a Chinese surname?
Pang can stand for more than one surname. Among Hokkien and Teochew speakers it is a spelling of 冯 (Feng); in Cantonese it is usually 彭 (Peng). Check the Chinese character to be sure.
Are Feng and Wei related surnames?
According to tradition, yes. Both are said to descend from Bi Wan, whose descendants who held the town of Feng became the Feng family and those who held Wei became the Wei family.
Sources
- Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames (2019 Ministry of Public Security ranking; 2013 Fuxi Institution figures; romanisation table) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- The Paper (澎湃新闻), 2019年全国姓名报告 (Ministry of Public Security Household Registration Administration Research Center, January 2020) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 冯姓 · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Féng (surname 冯/馮) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Behind the Name, Feng (surname, 冯) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Feng Menglong · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Feng (surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction