Our answer
China’s 32nd most common surname 曾
Said Zēng as a surname; the same character read céng means ‘once’ or ‘ever’
The short answer
Zeng (曾, Zēng) is a Chinese surname, ranked 32nd in China’s 2019 Ministry of Public Security list. Tradition traces it to the ancient state of Zeng (鄫). As a surname the character is read Zēng; read céng it means ‘once’ or ‘ever’. Common spellings abroad include Tsang (Hong Kong), Tseng (Taiwan) and Chan.
| In Chinese | 曾, written the same in simplified and traditional characters |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Zēng (first tone); not céng, the everyday reading of the same character |
| Rank in China (2019) | No. 32 (Ministry of Public Security); 17th in Taiwan (2016) |
| Other spellings | Tsang (Hong Kong), Tseng or Tzeng (Taiwan), Chan (Philippines), Tsen or Cheng (Malaysia and Singapore), Tăng (Vietnam) |
| Meaning of the character | As a word, céng means ‘once, ever, formerly’; zēng means ‘great-’ as in great-grandfather |
| Largest in | Guangdong (2013); also common in Hunan, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hubei and Fujian |
| Population | About 7.72 million, 0.58% of China’s population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
Origins of the Zeng surname
Tradition traces the name to Qulie (曲烈), a son of Shao Kang, a king of the Xia dynasty, who was given the small state of Zeng (鄫) in what is now Lanling County, Shandong. When the state of Ju (莒) absorbed Zeng in 567 BC, its crown prince, Wu (巫), fled to the neighbouring state of Lu. His descendants are said to have dropped the 阝 radical from 鄫, leaving 曾 as their family name. Behind the Name gives a different account, linking the name to a Zhou-dynasty state of Zeng in present-day Hubei.
The most famous early Zeng is Zengzi (曾参, 505–435 BC), a disciple of Confucius. Many Zeng families use the hall name 三省堂 (Sānxǐng Táng, ‘Hall of Three Examinations’), after Zengzi’s practice of examining himself every day. Zeng clans also keep a fixed sequence of generation characters, used as the middle character of a given name to show a person’s generation; the published sequence runs from the 63rd to the 97th generation.
In the Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓), the classic rhyming list of surnames, Zeng comes in at 385th. For how surnames and given names fit together, see our guide to Chinese names.[1][2][6]
How Zeng is spelled around the world
The character is the same everywhere; the spelling follows the local language or romanisation system.[1][6]
| Spelling | Where | Language or system |
|---|---|---|
| Zeng | Mainland China | Mandarin, pinyin |
| Tseng, Tzeng | Taiwan; older Western books | Mandarin, Wade–Giles |
| Tsang | Hong Kong | Cantonese |
| Chan | Philippines | Hokkien |
| Tsen, Chen, Cheng | Malaysia and Singapore | Local romanisations |
| Chang | Thailand | Local transliteration |
| Tjan | Indonesia | Dutch-era spelling |
| Tăng | Vietnam | Sino-Vietnamese |
Chan is also the usual Cantonese spelling of a different surname, 陈 Chen. The character tells you which family name is meant.
Where the Zeng surname is most common
Zeng was the 32nd 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.
Figures from the Fuxi Institution for 2013 put the number of Zeng at about 7.72 million, or 0.58% of the population, with Guangdong the province with the most. The Chinese-language Wikipedia article names Hunan, Sichuan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hubei and Fujian as the provinces where the name is most widespread.
The name ranks higher in Taiwan, where it was the 17th most common surname in 2016.[2][3][4]
Famous people named Zeng
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Zengzi | 曾参 | Philosopher and disciple of Confucius (505–435 BC) |
| Zeng Gong | 曾巩 | Song dynasty essayist, historian and poet (1019–1083) |
| Zeng Guofan | 曾国藩 | Qing dynasty statesman and military commander (1811–1872) |
| Zeng Fanzhi | 曾梵志 | Contemporary artist (born 1964) |
| Eric Tsang | 曾志偉 | Hong Kong actor and film director (born 1953) |
| Yani Tseng | 曾雅妮 | Taiwanese professional golfer (born 1989) |
| Jose Mari Chan | 曾煥福 | Filipino singer-songwriter (born 1945) |
Questions readers ask
What does the Zeng surname mean?
The surname comes from the name of an ancient state, Zeng (鄫). As an ordinary word the character 曾 means ‘once’ or ‘ever’ when read céng, and ‘great-’ (as in great-grandfather) when read zēng, the surname’s reading.
Is Zeng a Chinese last name?
Yes. Zeng (曾) is a Chinese family name, the 32nd most common in mainland China in 2019, and also common in Taiwan, Hong Kong and among overseas Chinese communities.
How common is Zeng in China?
It ranked 32nd in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list. Fuxi Institution figures for 2013 put the number of people called Zeng at about 7.72 million, 0.58% of the population, with the most in Guangdong.
How do you pronounce Zeng?
Zēng, with a high, level first tone. The pinyin z sounds roughly like the ‘ds’ in ‘beds’, and eng rhymes with the ‘ung’ in ‘sung’, said with a lighter vowel.
Is Tsang the same as Zeng?
Usually, yes. Tsang is the Cantonese spelling of 曾 used in Hong Kong, and Tseng or Tzeng is the Wade–Giles spelling common in Taiwan. All three write the same character.
Is Chan the same as Zeng?
Sometimes. Filipino Chinese families often spell 曾 as Chan, from Hokkien. But Chan is much more often the Cantonese spelling of 陈 (Chen), a different surname. Only the character settles it.
Who is the most famous person named Zeng?
Historically, Zengzi (曾参), the disciple of Confucius. Modern names known abroad include the Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang, the golfer Yani Tseng and the artist Zeng Fanzhi.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Zeng (surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 曾姓 · 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, 曾 · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Behind the Name, Zeng · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction