Surname Cheng - Meaning and Origin

Discovering the Ancestral Journey of My Surname Cheng: Insights from My iGENEA DNA Test

My iGENEA DNA test has unraveled an intriguing chronicle of my parental lineage, tracing back to the Western Han Dynasty. It provided amazing insights about my family's origins, migration habits, and societal contributions connected to my surname, Cheng. The results showed that my roots trace back to the early Chinese settlers, implying that the Cheng family has been an integral part of Chinese history, culture, and evolution.

J. Cheng

Cheng: What does the surname Cheng mean?

Cheng is a Chinese surname that holds historical and cultural significance. In Mandarin, it can be translated as "completed", "finished" or "succeeded". However, it's important to note that Chinese surnames carry a deep sense of ancestry and lineage, often linked to a specific region, clan, or figure from history. The last name Cheng traced back to ancient times, references two main origins. One of them is Cheng Kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty where the descendants were given the last name. The other origin is from the Song Dynasty where a progenitor took his officer title "Cheng" as his last name to honor his post. The surname also has various romanizations such as Zheng, Tcheng, or Teh, depending on the dialect or region. Thus, the meaning of Cheng is multi-faceted depending on the context, and carries rich historical connotations.

Cheng: Where does the name Cheng come from?

The surname Cheng originated from China. It is derived from the ancient city of Cheng, which was situated in the state of Lu in the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC). This surname is traditionally associated with the Han Chinese, the largest ethnic group in China.

Cheng is the romanized version under the Wade-Giles system. In the pinyin system, Cheng is usually romanized as Zheng. It is listed 21st in the famous "Hundred Family Surnames" poem, which lists the most common surnames in China.

As of today, Cheng/Zheng is extremely common in China and Taiwan; it's estimated to be the 7th most common surname in China with approximately 21 million people bearing this name. Throughout the world, it can also be found frequently among communities in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore and Malaysia, and among people of Chinese descent living in Western countries like the United States and Canada.

Variations of the surname Cheng

Cheng is a commonly used Chinese surname, originating from the ancient state of Cheng during the Zhou Dynasty. Since Mandarin, Cantonese, and other dialects have different pronunciations, the anglicized spelling can vary greatly. Thus, other spellings can include Zheng, Zhèng, Chung, Tcheng, or Tchèng in French contexts, and Tei in Hokkien. A variant could also be Chin, if coming from a Hakka pronunciation.

The surname Chang can sometimes be a version of Cheng, depending on the dialect and region. In Taiwanese Hokkien, Zeng or Tzeng, could be a variant.

It is important to note that identical transliterations can also pertain to different Chinese characters, therefore different surnames. For instance, 'Cheng' could mean '程’, ‘郑’，’成'，and so on, each with its own history and origins.

When considering surnames of the "same" origin, it's challenging because of the many Chinese characters that can be romanized as Cheng/Zheng. But if we focus on the most widely recognized one, ‘郑’, other surnames with the same origin are Tan or Chan, as the characters used to write these names also have the radical part '阝' indicating their shared origin related to place or state.

Famous people with the name Cheng

• Jackie Chan (born Chan Kong-sang): Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director.
• Sally Yeh (born Yeh Man-fen): Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress.
• Kevin Cheng (Cheng Ka-wing): Hong Kong American actor and singer.
• Alfred Cheng (Cheng Kin Woo): Hong Kong actor.
• Cheng Pei-pei: Chinese actress.
• Ekin Cheng (Cheng Yee-kin): Hong Kong actor and singer.
• Charmaine Sheh (Sheh Sze-man): Hong Kong actress.
• Kelly Cheng: Singaporean actress and television host.
• Cheng Fei: Chinese gymnast.
• Mandy Wong (Cheng Lai Man): Hong Kong actress.
• Andy Cheng (Cheng Ka-wai): Hong Kong-born American actor, stuntman and martial artist.
• Elva Hsiao (Hsiao Ya-chih): Taiwanese singer.
• Witness Lee (Li Changshou): Chinese Christian preacher.
• Samuel Cheng: Hong Kong television presenter and actor.
• Justin Cheng (Cheng Jut Wah): English footballer of Chinese Hong Kong descent.
• Cheng Tao: Chinese footballer.
• Freddie Wong: American filmmaker, musician and YouTuber.
• Dicky Cheung (Cheung Wai Kin): Hong Kong actor and singer.
• Stephy Tang (Tang Lai Jun): Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress.
• Cecilia Cheung (Cheung Pak-chi): Hong Kong-Australian actress and cantopop singer.
• Cheng Long (Chang Fei): Taiwanese television host and singer.
• Teresa Cheng (Cheng Yeuk-wah): Hong Kong Senior Counsel and Judge of the High Court.
• Zhou Cheng: Chinese boxer. Note: Some names are the stage names of the individuals, and their birth names are in parentheses.

Other surnames

ChenChenauskyChenayCheneChenesChenetChenetteCheneyCheneysChenezChenieChenierChenneChenney