Ouyang
Encyclopedia
Ouyang is one of the most common two-character Chinese compound surname
Chinese compound surname
A Chinese compound surname is a Chinese surname using more than one character. Many of these surnames derive from noble and official titles, professions, place names and other areas, to serve for a purpose. Some are originally non-Han, while others were created by joining two one-character family...

s in the world. However, it is not one of the top two hundred Chinese surnames, as documented by the Language Publication Society, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 in 1990. Ouyang constitutes one of the twenty-odd two-character surnames that have survived in modern times.

History

The Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 historian Ouyang Xiu
Ouyang Xiu
Ouyang Xiu was a Chinese statesman, historian, essayist and poet of the Song Dynasty. He is also known by his courtesy name of Yongshu, and was also self nicknamed The Old Drunkard 醉翁, or Householder of the One of Six 六一居士 in his old age...

 traced the Ouyang surname to Di (蹄, Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...

: Tí), a prince of Yue
Yue (state)
Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period , in the modern province of Zhejiang. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji , near the modern city of Shaoxing...

, the second son of King Wujiang (無彊/无疆). After his state was extinguished by the state of Chu
Chu (state)
The State of Chu was a Zhou Dynasty vassal state in present-day central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the surname Nai , and clan name Yan , later evolved to surname Mi , and clan name Xiong...

, Di and his family was living in the south side of the Mount Ouyu (欧余山, currently called Mount Sheng 升山 in Huzhou
Huzhou
Huzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province of Eastern China. Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu to the west and north respectively.-Administration:...

, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

). In Chinese the south side of a mountain or the north bank of a river is called Yang (阳), thus the Di family was called Ouyang. He was called Marquis of Ouyang Ting (欧阳亭侯). Traditionally, Di's ancestry can be traced through his father Wujiang, the King of Yue, to the semi-legendary Yu the Great
Yu the Great
Yu the Great , was a legendary ruler of Ancient China famed for his introduction of flood control, inaugurating dynastic rule in China by founding the Xia Dynasty, and for his upright moral character....

 (大禹).

Geographical origins

In terms of distribution Ouyangs have mostly been confined to southern China, especially the areas of southern Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...

, central Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

 and eastern Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...

, with smaller pockets in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

 and Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

.

Daling (大嶺), near Zhongshan City in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

, China has been documented of having extensive History of Owyang, family records and family trees have been created and distributed to family members around the globe, commonly known as the Owyang Genealogy Book (hardbound, blue cover).

Notable clans

The most prominent of the Ouyang clans historically was undoubtedly that of Yongfeng (永丰) in Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...

, which produced a number of scholars who reached prominence in the imperial bureaucracy. Genealogical lineages and family trees have been established for a number of Ouyang clans around China, showing migration patterns from the Song to the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

.

Immigration outside of China

There was a large immigration of Ouyang's in the late 19th century and early 20th century to the San Francisco Bay area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

, Sacramento Delta Area
Sacramento River Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in northern California in the United States. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of...

. In summer of 2005, the first extended Ouyang family reunion was held in Locke
Locke, California
Locke , also known as Locke Historic District, is an unincorporated community in California's Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta built by Chinese immigrants during the early 20th century. It was originally named Lockeport after George Locke, who owned the land that the town was built upon at a...

, near Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

. Over 200 Ouyangs attended and included speeches, sharing, family trees and documentation. This group continues to communicate using Ouyang Yahoo! Groups and spans members from across North America and beyond.

Famous people with this surname

  • Ouyang Ziyuan
    Ouyang Ziyuan
    Ouyang Ziyuan is a Chinese cosmochemist, geochemist and space advocate. He is a research professor at the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.-Geochemical career:...

     Chinese cosmochemist and geochemist, chief scientist in charge of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
    Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
    Chinese Lunar Exploration Program , also known as the Chang'e program, is a program of robotic and human missions to the Moon undertaken by the China National Space Administration , the space agency of the People's Republic of China...

  • Ouyang Xiu
    Ouyang Xiu
    Ouyang Xiu was a Chinese statesman, historian, essayist and poet of the Song Dynasty. He is also known by his courtesy name of Yongshu, and was also self nicknamed The Old Drunkard 醉翁, or Householder of the One of Six 六一居士 in his old age...

     Song Dynasty scholar
  • Ouyang Xun
    Ouyang Xun
    Ouyang Xun , courtesy name Xinben , was a Confucian scholar and calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty. He was born in Hunan, Changsha, to a family of government officials; and died in modern Anhui province.-Achievements:...

     Tang Dynasty scholar
  • Tim Ouyang, lead singer for the group Tim Be Told
    Tim Be Told
    Tim Be Told is a Contemporary Christian music group that originated in Charlottesville, VA. Their musical style incorporates elements of soul, pop, rock, gospel and blues. Their name was derived from the term "truth be told", where honesty is one of the band's focuses. Their goal within the music...

  • P. K. Ojong, co-founder of Indonesia
    Indonesia
    Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

    n newspaper
    Newspaper
    A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

     Kompas
    Kompas
    Kompas is the most widely read newspaper in Indonesia. Published by Kompas-Gramedia Group Publishing since June 28, 1965, it has a reputation in Indonesia for high-quality writing and investigative journalism...

  • Michael T. Owyang, Ph.D. Economist
  • Chung Owyang, M.D.
  • Jin Au-Yeung
    Jin (rapper)
    Jin Au-Yeung , who performs under the stage name MC Jin, is a Hong Kong hip hop rapper, songwriter, and actor. Growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, he decided to reside permanently in his motherland, Hong Kong...

    , Hip Hop Artist
  • Bobby Au-Yeung
    Bobby Au-Yeung
    Bobby Au-yeung Tsan-wah is a Hong Kong actor best known for his comedic roles in many TVB television dramas. Au-yeung gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Ben Yu in the 1991 legal drama File of Justice, appearing in all five seasons of the drama...

    , Hong Kong
    Hong Kong
    Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

     actor
  • Au Yeung Yiu Chung
    Au Yeung Yiu Chung
    Au Yeung Yiu Chung is a Hong Kong football player who currently plays for South China in Hong Kong First Division League. He is an attacking midfielder. He is renowned for his impressive dribbling skills and is being widely considered as the most talented local player in Hong Kong football at the...

    , a Hong Kong footballer got 2009 East Asian Games
    2009 East Asian Games
    The 2009 East Asian Games, officially known as the V East Asian Games, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Hong Kong, between 5 December and 13 December 2009. A total of 2,377 athletes from 9 East Asian national competed in 262 events in 22 sports...

     gold medal
  • Byron Au Yong Composer
  • J.H. Au-Yong, MSc, a fellow researcher, http://turbo-dsr.blogspot.com
  • Ouyang Yongle, D.Comp.L., Researcher in Chinese Constitutional Law.
  • Sharon Owyang, film production, book author http://imdb.com/name/nm0654537/
  • Lucille Ouyang, assistant director of many major movie titles http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0653716/
  • Juliet Ouyoung, costume designer http://www.jouyoung.com/ http://imdb.com/name/nm0653718/
  • Darryl O'Young
    Darryl O'Young
    Darryl O'Young Yeuk-Hay is a Canadian-born Chinese racing driver. He currently resides in Hong Kong.-Early career:O'Young began racing in 1988 at the age of eight. Trained by his father he honed his driving skills in karting winning numerous championships...

    , Canadian
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

    -born Hong Kong
    Hong Kong
    Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

     racing driver
  • Eric Owyoung, lead musician for the rock alternative band Future of Forestry
    Future of Forestry
    Future of Forestry is a Christian rock alternative band from Southern California, USA.-History:Eric Owyoung, lead singer and song writer, started the band Something Like Silas in 2000. After playing at Hume Lake for 3 years and planting Flood Church in San Diego, the band signed with Sparrow Records...

     (formerly known as Something Like Silas
    Something Like Silas
    Something Like Silas was an alternative Christian rock band from San Diego, CA, USA who played at the Hume Lake Christian camp before being signed onto Sparrow Records in 2003 and was the regular band at Flood, a ministry that meets at Kearny High School in San Diego, and is pastored by Matt Hammett...

    ), http://futureofforestry.com/
  • Stephanie Owyang, notable photographer
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