Tao (surname)

Tao is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 陶 (Táo). It ranked 31st among the Song-era Hundred Family Surnames.

Tào is also a Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Cao (Chữ Nôm: 曹).

Origin

Various Chinese Tao family from;

• Qi (surname) (祁)
• Public Officer of Zhou Dynasty
• Miao people
• Tujia people, Blang people, Yao people, Yi people, Dai people of Minority Group
• Mongolian
• Tuoheluo, Tuqin, Tuokuer family of Liaoning
• Xibe people

Romanization

Tao was romanized T'ao under the Wade-Giles system, although it was common to omit the apostrophe. It is romanized To, Tou and Tow in Cantonese; Tô in Minnan; Tau, Tow in Teochew; and Tháu in Gan.

The Vietnamese surname formerly written as 陶 in Chữ Nôm is now written Đào; the Korean surname formerly written as 陶 in Hanja is now written 도 and romanized Do; the same surname in Kanji is romanized Tō in Japanese.

Distribution

Tao was the 82nd-most-common surname in mainland China, but it was unlisted among the 100 most common Taiwanese surnames.

Tao is a fairly uncommon surname in the United States, being ranked 12,503rd during the 1990 census and 10,033rd during the year 2000 one.^[1]

History

Some Zhejiangese Tao who joined the White Banner upon the advent of the Qing dynasty Manchufied their name to Tohoro (Chinese: Tuohuoluo).^[2]

List of persons with the surname

Tao David Tao or Tao Zhe, singer Tao Kan, Jin Dynasty general and governor Tao Lin, a famous author Tao Luna, sports shooter Michael Tao, television actor Tao Qian, warlord during the late Han Dynasty Tao Yuanming, scholar and poet of the Jin dynasty Tao Siju, politician Terence Tao, Australian mathematician and 2006 Fields Medalist Tao Yang, Professor at UCSB and Chief Scientist at Ask Jeeves Tao Zhu, politician

Tohoro Duanfang, a Qing-era politician

References

1. US Census Bureau. Op. cit. Public Broadcasting Service. "How Popular Is Your Last Name?" Accessed 6 Apr 2012.
2. Edward J. M. Rhoads (2001). Manchus & Han: ethnic relations and political power in late Qing and early republican China, 1861-1928 (reprint, illustrated ed.). University of Washington Press. p. 55. ISBN 0-295-98040-0. Retrieved March 2, 2012.