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Gao (surname)

Gao (Chinese: 高) is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin that can be literally translated as "high" or "tall". There are approximately 17 million living people with this surname. Some places, such as Taiwan, usually romanise this family name into "Kao". In Hong Kong, it is romanized to "Ko". In Macau, it is romanized to "Kou". In English, it is romanized to "Kauh". In 2019 it was the 19th most common surname in Mainland China. The Korean surname, "Ko" or "Koh", is derived from and written with the same Chinese character (高).

Romanisation and pronunciation

Origin

According to Lüshi Chunqiu, the earliest figure with the Gao surname was Gao Yuan (高元) who created dwellings in antiquity. Zhuanxu, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, was also known as Gao Yang (高陽).

Another origin of Gao is the Jiang (姜) surname. According to the Song dynasty encyclopedia Tongzhi, an early ancestor was Gao Xi (高傒) who was granted the surname Gao in honour of his grandfather Prince Gao (公子高). Prince Gao was the son of Duke Wen of the state of Qi whose ancestral name was Jiang (姜).

Many non-Han Chinese used the surname Gao:

The Xianbei clan of Lou (楼) of the Northern Wei period later changed their surname to Gao. The Yuan (元) family also adopted this surname in this period
Xú (徐) family of the Northern Qi period
Baipu (百濮) people of Yunnan (雲南)
According to Samguk Sagi, the king of Goguryeo regarded himself as a descendant of Chinese heroes because he called his surname "Go" (Hanja: 高) as he was the descendant of Gao Yang (Hanja: 高陽) who was a grandchild of the Yellow Emperor and Gaoxin (Hanja: 高辛) who was a great-grandchild of Yellow Emperor. However, this is discredited as a mythology by Kim Busik, who mentioned that the surname Ko in Korea is from Buyeo origin.

Notable people

Historical

Gao Yang Founding Emperor of Northern Qi
Gao Yin Second emperor of Northern Qi
Gao Yan Third emperor of Northern Qi
Gao Zhan Fourth emperor of Northern Qi
Gao Wei Fifth emperor of Northern Qi
Gao Heng Sixth emperor of Northern Qi
Gao Yun (Northern Yan), Founding emperor of the Northern Yan dynasty
Gao Cheng paramount official of the Chinese/Xianbei state Eastern Wei
Gao Anagong official of the Northern Qi
Gao Huan paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei and Northern Wei's branch successor state Eastern Wei.
Gao Shaoyi imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi
Gao Yanzong imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi
Gao Shilian, chancellor during the Tang dynasty
Gao Shun, Military General under Warlord Lü Bu during the late Han dynasty
Gao Jiong, official during the Sui dynasty
Gao Yun (Northern Wei), official during the Northern Wei dynasty
Gao Xianzhi, general during the Tang dynasty of Korean descent
Gao Qiong, general during the Northern Song dynasty
Gao, guitarist

Modern

Alice Longyu Gao, Chinese musician
Gao Chengyong (1964–2019), Chinese serial killer
Gao Dena, Donald Knuth, American computer scientist
Gao Gang, a Chinese Communist leader
Gao Hanyu (also known as Kido, born 1989), Chinese actor and singer
Gao Hong, pipa player and composer
Gao Jianli, a Zhu player and friend of Jing Ke
Gao Jixing, a king of Jingnan
Gao Jun, Chinese-American table tennis player
Gao Lei (born 1992), Chinese Olympic individual trampoline gymnast
Gao Lin, Chinese professional footballer
Gao Ling, Chinese badminton player
Gao Min (cyclist), Chinese cyclist
Gao Min (diver), Chinese diver
Gao Qiu, character from Shui Hu Zhuan
Gao Shuying, Chinese pole vaulter
Gao Song, Chinese figure skater
Gao Weiguang (born 1983), Chinese actor and model
Gao Xie, calligraphist, painter, poet, writer, book collector
Gao Xingjian, 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature
Gao Xiumin (actress) (1959–2005), Chinese comedy actress
Gao Xiumin (handballer) (born 1963), former female Chinese handball player
Gao Xu, poet, writer, publisher, revolutionary
Gao Yang (disambiguation), multiple people
Gao Yaojie (1927–2023), Chinese geneticist
Gao Yihan, intellectual
Gao Yisheng, creator of the Gao style of the Chinese Internal Martial Art of Baguazhang
Gao Youxin (1916-1948), ace-fighter pilot of the Chinese Air Force during the War of Resistance/World War II
Godfrey Gao (1984-2019), Taiwanese-Canadian model and television actor
Gao Yuanyuan (born 1979), Chinese actress and model
Gao Zhihang (1906-1937), ace-fighter pilot of the Chinese Air Force during the War of Resistance/World War II
Gao Zhisheng, activist
Gao Zhunyi (born 1995), Chinese footballer of Korean descent
Gao Jianing, also known as J.G. Ex-member of South Korean boy group, Cross Gene, a contestant of Produce Camp 2019
Judy Gao (born 1994), New Zealand fashion designer and chess player
Curley Gao, also known as Xilinnayi Gao. Singer-songwriter, center of BonBon Girls 303, a debuted girl group of Produce Camp 2020
Gao Qingchen, also known as Nine. Thai actor and singer of Chinese descent, member of the multi-national Chinese group INTO1, a debuted boy group of Produce Camp 2021

Kao

Charles K. Kao (1933–2018), inventor of data transmission using optical fibre, was awarded half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics
Jack Kao, Taiwanese actor
Kao Ming-huey, International Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of China
Kao Yang-sheng, former Political Deputy Minister of Council of Indigenous Peoples of the Republic of China
Min Kao
Ping-Tse Kao (1888–1970), Taiwanese astronomer
Henry Kao (1913-2005), former Mayor of Taipei, Minister and Senior Advisor to the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). First Taiwanese to receive an honorary doctorate from Waseda University, Japan.