--- title: "The Xiao surname (萧/肖): meaning, origin and spellings" url: https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/xiao section: "Culture" type: answer updated: 2026-11-01 next_review: 2027-02-01 status: checked author: "The Popular in China desk" fact_checker: "Alex Liu" publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com) license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/xiao --- # The Xiao surname (萧/肖): meaning, origin and spellings _Xiao is one of the few Chinese surnames written two ways on the mainland: as 萧 and, for many families, as the simpler 肖. It was the surname of two southern dynasties and of many Liao empresses, and today belongs to stars such as the actor Xiao Zhan. Here is the meaning, the origin, where it is most common and how it is spelled around the world._ **Verdict: China’s 33rd most common surname** (萧（蕭、肖）) — Written 萧 in standard simplified Chinese, 蕭 in traditional, and often 肖 on the mainland ## Short answer Xiao (萧, Xiāo) is a Chinese surname, ranked 33rd in China’s 2019 Ministry of Public Security list. It comes from the ancient territory of Xiao, in today’s Anhui. Many mainland families write it 肖, a form left over from a withdrawn 1977 simplification. It is spelled Siu in Hong Kong, Hsiao in Taiwan and Seow in Singapore. ## At a glance - **In Chinese:** 萧 (simplified), 蕭 (traditional); many mainland families use 肖 - **Pinyin:** Xiāo (first tone) - **Rank in China (2019):** No. 33 (Ministry of Public Security); 28th in Taiwan (2016) - **Other spellings:** Hsiao (Taiwan), Siu or Shiu (Hong Kong), Seow, Siow or Sio (Singapore and Malaysia), Tiêu (Vietnam), Shaw - **Meaning of the character:** 萧: in old Chinese a kind of mugwort; also ‘desolate, dreary’. 肖 on its own means ‘to resemble’ - **Largest in:** Hunan (2013) - **Population:** About 7.39 million, 0.56% of China’s population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) ## Origins of the Xiao surname The usual account places the origin in the **Zhou dynasty** territory of Xiao, in what is now **Xiao County, Anhui**. During the Spring and Autumn period a nobleman of the state of Song, Daxin (萧叔大心), was given Xiao as a fief, and his people later took the place name as their surname. The most celebrated early bearer, **Xiao He** (萧何), became the first chancellor of the Han dynasty. Two branches gave the name its prestige. One moved to Lanling (in today’s Shandong) under Emperor Wu of Han and became known as the **Lanling Xiao**; a later branch settled in what is now Danyang, Jiangsu. Descendants of that southern line founded two dynasties, the **Southern Qi** and the **Liang**, and under the Tang dynasty nine members of the family served as chancellors. The name also spread beyond Han Chinese families. The founder of the Khitan-ruled **Liao dynasty** granted the surname Xiao to two consort clans, reportedly out of admiration for Xiao He, and many Liao empresses were called Xiao. In the Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓) it comes 99th. Sources: [1][2][5] > **Note: 萧 or 肖: same surname, two ways of writing it** > > The standard simplified form of 蕭 is **萧**. But 肖 had long been used informally as a quick way of writing the surname, and the **second round of character simplification** made 肖 the official form. That round was later withdrawn, and 萧 became the standard again. > > By then many people had 肖 on their identity documents, and many still do, so on the mainland you will meet both. Some have applied to have 萧 restored on their ID cards. The standard Xiandai Hanyu Cidian dictionary now lists 肖 as a surname separate from 萧. On its own, 肖 (xiào) means ‘to resemble’; as a surname it is read Xiāo, just like 萧. Sources: [1][2][4] ## How Xiao is spelled around the world Spellings follow the local language. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia write the traditional 蕭; mainland China and Singapore use 萧. [1] | Spelling | Where | Language or system | | --- | --- | --- | | Xiao | Mainland China | Mandarin, pinyin | | Hsiao | Taiwan; older Western books | Mandarin, Wade–Giles | | Siu, Shiu, Siew | Hong Kong and Cantonese or Hakka speakers abroad | Cantonese, Hakka | | Seow, Siow, Sio, Siaw | Singapore and Malaysia | Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka | | Tiêu | Vietnam | Sino-Vietnamese | | Shaw | United States and in translation | Chosen for its similar sound | Younger Malaysians and Singaporeans increasingly use the pinyin spelling Xiao. The English surname Shaw is conventionally written 萧 in Chinese, as in 萧伯纳 for George Bernard Shaw. ## Where the Xiao surname is most common Xiao was the **33rd 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. Fuxi Institution figures for 2013 put the number of people called Xiao at about **7.39 million**, or 0.56% of the population, with **Hunan** the province with the most. These figures count 萧 and 肖 together as one surname. Family histories trace later migrations from Jiangxi to Sichuan in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and from Zhangzhou in Fujian to Taiwan. In Taiwan, Xiao was the 28th most common surname in 2016. Sources: [1][3][6] ## Famous people named Xiao | Name | Chinese | Known for | | --- | --- | --- | | Xiao He | 萧何 | First chancellor of the Han dynasty | | Emperor Wu of Liang (Xiao Yan) | 萧衍 | Founder of the Liang dynasty (464–549) | | Xiao Hong | 萧红 | Writer (1911–1942) | | Xiao Zhan | 肖战 | Actor and singer, star of The Untamed (born 1991) | | Xiao Guodong | 肖国栋 | Snooker player, two-time Wuhan Open winner (born 1989) | | Josephine Siao | 蕭芳芳 | Hong Kong actress and writer (born 1946) | | Elva Hsiao | 蕭亞軒 | Taiwanese singer (born 1979) | | Yum-Tong Siu | 蕭蔭堂 | Mathematician (born 1943) | Xiao Zhan and Xiao Guodong both write the surname 肖. ## Questions **What does the Xiao surname mean?** It comes from the name of an ancient territory, Xiao, in what is now Anhui. As an ordinary word, 萧 was an old name for a kind of mugwort and also means ‘desolate’ or ‘dreary’. **Is Xiao a Chinese last name?** Yes. Xiao (萧, also written 肖) is a Chinese family name, the 33rd most common in mainland China in 2019 and the 28th in Taiwan in 2016. **What is the difference between 萧 and 肖?** They are the same surname. 萧 is the standard simplified form; 肖 was made official in the second round of character simplification, which was later withdrawn. Many mainland families kept 肖 on their documents. **How common is Xiao in China?** It ranked 33rd in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. Fuxi Institution figures for 2013 put the number at about 7.39 million people, 0.56% of the population, with the most in Hunan. **How do you pronounce Xiao?** Xiāo, with a high, level first tone. The pinyin x is close to English ‘sh’ said with the tongue forward, and iao sounds like ‘yow’, so roughly ‘shyow’. **Is Siu the same as Xiao?** Usually. Siu (or Shiu) is the Cantonese spelling of 蕭 used in Hong Kong. Hsiao is the Wade–Giles spelling used in Taiwan, and Seow or Siow are common in Singapore and Malaysia. **Is Xiao the same as Shaw?** Some overseas families spell 蕭 as Shaw because the sounds are similar, and in translation the English surname Shaw is usually written 萧. But most people called Shaw have no Chinese ancestry. ## Sources 1. [Wikipedia, Xiao (surname)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_(surname)) — accessed 2026-11-01 2. [Wikipedia (Chinese), 萧姓](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%90%A7%E5%A7%93) — accessed 2026-11-01 3. [Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames (Ministry of Public Security 2019 ranking; Fuxi Institution 2013 figures; Taiwan 2016)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_Chinese_surnames) — accessed 2026-11-01 4. [MDBG Chinese–English dictionary, 萧, 蕭 and 肖](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=%E8%90%A7%20%E8%82%96%20%E8%95%AD) — accessed 2026-11-01 5. [Behind the Name, Xiao](https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/xiao) — accessed 2026-11-01 6. [The Paper (澎湃新闻), 公安部发布最新百家姓 (20 January 2020)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_5584537) — accessed 2026-11-01 7. [Wikipedia, Xiao Zhan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Zhan) — accessed 2026-11-01 8. [Wikipedia, Xiao Guodong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Guodong) — accessed 2026-11-01 ## Related - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-names - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/zeng - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/tian - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/dong --- Canonical page: https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/xiao