Our answer
China’s 24th most common surname 宋
A surname traditionally traced to the ancient state of Song, ruled by descendants of the Shang kings
The short answer
Song (宋, Sòng) is a Chinese surname ranked 24th in China by the Ministry of Public Security in 2019. The character is the name of the ancient state of Song and of the Song dynasty (960–1279); tradition says people of the old Song state took its name as their surname. Older spellings include Sung and Soong.
| In Chinese | 宋 (the same in simplified and traditional characters) |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Sòng (fourth, falling tone) |
| Rank in China (2019) | 24th, Ministry of Public Security list of the 100 most common surnames |
| Other spellings | Sung (Wade–Giles, Cantonese), Soong, Song (Korean, 송), Tống (Vietnamese) |
| Meaning of the character | The name of the ancient state of Song and of the Song dynasty (960–1279) |
| Largest in | Shandong, the province with the most people named Song (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
| Population | About 9.32 million, 0.70% of China’s population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
Origins of the Song surname
Tradition traces the Song surname to the state of Song (宋国), one of the states of the Zhou period. After the Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty, Weizi Qi (微子启), a son of the Shang king Di Yi, was enfeoffed as ruler of Song, so the state was ruled by descendants of the Shang royal house, whose clan surname was Zi (子). The state lasted for some three dozen generations until it was conquered in 286 BCE, and its people took the name of their lost state as their surname.
The Shang royal line in turn traced itself to a legendary ancestor, Xie (契), said to have been born after his mother Jiandi swallowed the egg of a dark bird. As with most surname origin stories, this is legend rather than history.
Later, other groups joined the name: a Qiang clan that submitted to the Northern Wei in 518, and a Miao group in Guizhou that claimed Song descent. The same character was later used for the Song dynasty (960–1279), but the surname is far older than the dynasty.[3][4][5]
How Song is spelled around the world
宋 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, and in Korean hanja. Only the romanisation changes.[1][3][5]
| Spelling | Where | Language or system |
|---|---|---|
| Song | Mainland China | Mandarin, pinyin |
| Sung | Taiwan, Hong Kong and older Western usage | Mandarin (Wade–Giles); also Cantonese |
| Soong | Older and overseas family spellings | Alternative romanisation |
| Song, Songco, Soong, Sung | Philippines | Hokkien and local forms |
| Song (송) | Korea | Korean |
| Tống | Vietnam | Vietnamese |
| Sō | Japan | Japanese reading |
Where the Song surname is most common
Song was the 24th most common surname in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list, the same position it held in the Fuxi Institution’s 2013 ranking. Fuxi estimated about 9.32 million people named Song in 2013, or 0.70% of the population, with Shandong the province with the most. The top 100 surnames together cover 85.9% of China’s registered population.
Historically the main ancestral seats (郡望) of the Song clan were in northern China, among them Xihe, Guangping, Dunhuang, Henan and Fufeng commanderies. In Taiwan the surname is much less common, ranking 53rd.[1][2][4]
Famous people named Song
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Song Zhiwen (born 656) | 宋之问 | Early Tang dynasty poet |
| Song Qi | 宋祁 | Scholar-official and poet who rose to Minister of War, nicknamed ‘the Red Apricot Minister’ for one line of verse |
| Song Ci (born 1186) | 宋慈 | Song dynasty author of *Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified* |
| Song Yingxing (born 1587) | 宋应星 | Ming dynasty scientist and encyclopaedist |
| Song Dandan (born 1961) | 宋丹丹 | Actress |
| Song Aimin (born 1978) | 宋爱民 | Discus thrower |
| Song Weiping (born 1967) | 宋卫平 | Businessman |
| Song Yuqi (born 1999) | 宋雨琦 | Singer and dancer, member of the K-pop group (G)I-dle |
| Song Andong (born 1997) | 宋安东 | Ice hockey player, the first Chinese-born player drafted by an NHL team (2015) |
Questions readers ask
What does the Song surname mean?
宋 is the name of the ancient state of Song and of the later Song dynasty (960–1279). Tradition holds that people of the old state of Song, ruled by descendants of the Shang kings, took the state’s name as their surname.
Is Song a Chinese last name?
Yes. Song (宋) is the 24th most common surname in China in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. It is also a common Korean surname, written with the same character.
How common is the Song surname in China?
The Fuxi Institution estimated about 9.32 million people named Song in 2013, around 0.70% of the population. Shandong is the province with the most.
How do you pronounce Song?
In pinyin it is Sòng, with a falling fourth tone. The vowel is closer to the ‘oo’ in ‘book’ than the ‘o’ in the English word ‘song’, so it sounds roughly like ‘soong’.
Is Soong the same as Song?
Usually, yes. Soong is an older alternative romanisation of 宋, used by some families who emigrated or registered their name before pinyin. A less common surname, 崇 (Chóng), is also sometimes spelled Soong.
Is Sung the same as Song?
Yes. Sung is the Wade–Giles spelling of 宋, still used in Taiwan and in many overseas families.
Is the Song surname connected to the Song dynasty?
They share a character, but the surname is far older than the dynasty: it comes from the ancient state of Song, which was conquered in 286 BCE.
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, Song (Chinese surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 宋姓 · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Behind the Name, Song (surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Behind the Name, Song (given name) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction