Lang (Chinese surname)

Láng is a surname of Chinese and Manchu origin. It was an official title in imperial times, meaning "minister" or "councillor". According to a 2013 study, it is the 242nd most common surname in China; around 370,000 people have the name, and it is most common in the province of Hebei. It is the 48th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.

Origins

Lang was the name of a city where Fei Bo, the grandson of Duke Yi of Lu, lived. Some of his descendants later changed their original surname Fei to Lang.
The surname is also borne by some families from the state of the South Huns.
Additionally, during the Qing dynasty, the Niohuru family of Manchu origin sinicized their family name, changing it to Lang, which sounded like "wolf" in Mandarin Chinese, since niohuru was derived from the Manchu word for "wolf".

Notable people

Lang Jingshan, Chinese photographer
Lang Lang, Chinese pianist
Lang Ping, Chinese former volleyball player and coach
Lang Zheng, Chinese footballer
Lang Shining, Chinese name of Giuseppe Castiglione, Italian Jesuit brother
Lang Tzu-yun, Taiwanese actress
Lang Yongchun, Chinese former news anchor best known for his work at China Central Television