Our answer
The ‘poplar’ surname, No. 6 in China 杨
Traditional form 楊; the family name of the Sui dynasty emperors
The short answer
Yang (杨, traditional 楊, Yáng) is a Chinese surname written with the character for the poplar tree. It is the sixth most common surname in China (Ministry of Public Security, 2019), about 42.7 million people in 2013, and was the family name of the Sui emperors. In Cantonese it is Yeung or Young; in Teochew, Yeo or Yeoh.
| In Chinese | 杨 (simplified) / 楊 (traditional) |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Yáng (second, rising tone) |
| Rank in China (2019) | No. 6 of the 100 most common surnames |
| Other spellings | Yeung, Young, Ieong (Cantonese), Yong (Hakka), Yeo, Yeoh (Teochew), Yu (the Philippines), Dương (Vietnamese) |
| Meaning of the character | Poplar, a tree; the ‘wood’ radical 木 plus a sound element |
| Largest in | Guizhou, where it is the No. 1 surname (2019) |
| Population | About 42.7 million in mainland China, 3.22% of the population (2013) |
Origins of the Yang surname
The character 楊 is a tree name: the poplar, written with the ‘wood’ radical 木 on the left and a sound element, 昜, on the right.
The main tradition traces the family to the Ji (姬) clan of the Zhou royal house. A son of Duke Wu of Jin, Boqiao (伯僑), is said to have been granted the small state of Yang in the Spring and Autumn period, and his descendants eventually took Yang as their surname. A colourful folk myth recorded in early collections claimed that some Yang families of the old south-western region of Shu descended from monkey-like creatures.
The name reached the throne with the Sui dynasty (581–618), whose founder was Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui. Another story is told in Yang clan halls: Yang Zhen, an Eastern Han official, refused a bribe of gold by saying that Heaven knew, Earth knew, you knew and I knew, and many Yang families still call their ancestral hall the Hall of the Four Knowings. See our guide to Chinese surnames for more.[2]
How Yang is spelled around the world
| Spelling | Where | Language or dialect |
|---|---|---|
| Yang | Mainland China, Taiwan, Korea | Mandarin (pinyin and Wade–Giles); Korean |
| Yeung, Young | Hong Kong and Cantonese communities | Cantonese |
| Ieong | Macau | Cantonese |
| Yong | Malaysia and Hakka communities | Hakka |
| Yeo, Yeoh | Singapore, Malaysia | Teochew |
| Njoo, Nyoo | Indonesia | Hokkien |
| Yu | The Philippines | Filipino Chinese spelling |
| Dương | Vietnam | Vietnamese |
| Yaj | Hmong communities | Hmong |
Where Yang is most common
Yang leans to the south-west. In the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 report it was the largest surname in Guizhou, the only provincial-level region where it comes first.
A 2013 study by the Fuxi Institution put Yang at 3.22% of China’s population, about 42.7 million people, and found the largest number of bearers in Sichuan.
Overseas, Yang is found across Southeast Asia. Among Chinese Filipinos, who spell it Yu, it was one of the most common surnames in 2020, with 27,732 people.[1][2][3]
Famous people named Yang
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Yang Jian (Emperor Wen of Sui) | 杨坚 | Founder of the Sui dynasty, emperor 581–604 |
| Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei) | 杨玉环 | Tang imperial consort, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China |
| Yang Chen-Ning | 杨振宁 | Physicist, 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics with Tsung-Dao Lee |
| Michelle Yeoh | 杨紫琼 | Malaysian actress |
| Edward Yang | 杨德昌 | Taiwanese film director; Best Director at Cannes for Yi Yi (2000) |
| Yang Mi | 杨幂 | Actress and singer, star of Palace and Eternal Love |
| Jerry Yang | 杨致远 | Co-founder of Yahoo! |
| Yang Hansen | 杨瀚森 | Basketball player, drafted into the NBA in 2025 |
Questions readers ask
What does the Yang surname mean?
楊 means poplar, a kind of tree; the character has the ‘wood’ radical 木 on the left.
Is Yang a Chinese last name?
Yes. It is the sixth most common surname in mainland China (Ministry of Public Security, 2019). It is also a Korean surname, and Dương in Vietnam is the same character.
How common is Yang in China?
A 2013 study put it at about 42.7 million people, 3.22% of the population. It is the top surname in Guizhou.
How do you pronounce Yang?
Yáng is said with a rising tone, roughly ‘yahng’; the vowel is closer to the ‘a’ in ‘father’ than to ‘yang’ in English.
Is Yeung the same as Yang?
Yes. Yeung is the Hong Kong Cantonese spelling of 杨. Young and Ieong are other Cantonese spellings.
Is Yeoh a Chinese surname?
Yes. Yeoh and Yeo are Teochew spellings of 杨 (Yang), common in Malaysia and Singapore.
Which dynasty was ruled by the Yang family?
The Sui dynasty (581–618). Its founder was Yang Jian, known as Emperor Wen of Sui.
Sources
- Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Yang (surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- The Paper (澎湃新闻), Ministry of Public Security 2019 surname report · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Yang Chen-Ning · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Yang Mi · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Yang Guifei · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Edward Yang · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Jerry Yang · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Yang Hansen · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction