Family name origins & meanings
- South German : nickname for a lively, alert person, from Middle High German genge ‘sprightly’.
- Chinese :
this surname was adopted during the Shang dynasty (1766–1122
bc) by inhabitants of an area called Geng. According to one
source, Geng was a state; after it was conquered, some of the
inhabitants adopted the name of the state as their surname. According
to another source, Geng was the name of the city that was made capital
of the region.