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Updated January 23, 2020

Family name origins & meanings

  • Chinese : from the name of the ancient state of Jiao, in present-day Henan province. After conquering the Shang dynasty and becoming the first king of the Zhou dynasty in 1122 bc, Wu Wang granted the state of Jiao to a descendant of Shen Nong, a legendary emperor (2734–2697 bc). Later descendants adopted the name of the state as their surname.

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