Áo is the Mandarin pinyin and Wade–Giles romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized as Ngo in Cantonese. Ao is listed 375th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[1] As of 2008, it is the 261st most common surname in China, shared by 250,000 people.[2]

Ao (敖)
PronunciationÁo (Mandarin)
ngou4 (Cantonese)
Language(s)Chinese
Origin
Language(s)Old Chinese
Other names
Variant form(s)Ngo

In Japanese, Ao is Japanese surname written in Chinese character.

Notable people edit

Mythology edit

In Chinese mythology, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas are surnamed Ao:

  • Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea
  • Ao Qin (敖欽), Dragon King of the South Sea
  • Ao Run (敖閏), Dragon King of the West Sea
  • Ao Shun (敖順), Dragon King of the North Sea

See also edit

  • Ou, commonly romanized as Ao in Cantonese

References edit

  1. ^ "百家姓" [Hundred Family Surnames] (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  2. ^ 中国最新300大姓排名(2008) [300 most common surnames in China (2008)] (in Chinese). Taiwan.cn. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2014-10-28.