Origins of the Zhao (赵) surname
Chinese sources record 5 separate lines of origin for the Zhao (赵) surname, and name 2 commanderies of origin (junwang). Each is summarised below with its source.
Originated from the Ying (嬴) surname
The founding ancestor of the Zhao (赵) surname was Zao Fu (造父), a descendant of Bo Yi (伯益) and bearing the Ying (嬴) surname. He was enfeoffed with Zhaocheng (赵城) by King Mu of Zhou (周穆王) for his excellence in charioteering, after which he adopted Zhao (赵) as his clan name.
Imperial bestowal and false claims of lineage
Throughout history, people changed their surnames to Zhao (赵) due to imperial bestowal of the surname, false claims of kinship with established Zhao lineages, marital ties, or sinicization of ethnic minorities.
Sinicization of the Xiongnu and Shatuo tribes
Xiongnu (匈奴) individuals who surrendered to the Western Han dynasty—such as Zhao Xin (赵信) and Zhao Anji (赵安稽)—as well as descendants of the Shatuo (沙陀) tribe, adopted the Zhao (赵) surname.
Manchu adoption of the Zhao surname
During the Jin dynasty (金代), some Jurchens (女真) already bore the Zhao (赵) surname; during the Ming dynasty (明代), leaders of the Dongning Guard (东宁卫) and Jianzhou Jurchens (建州女真) used Zhao (赵) as their surname; and during the Qing dynasty (清代), some Manchu imperial clansmen and members of the Jueluo (觉罗), Dong'e (董鄂), and Wanyan (完颜) clans adopted the Zhao (赵) surname due to legendary associations or phonetic similarity.
Zhao (赵) families of the Korean Peninsula
Some Zhao (赵) families on the Korean Peninsula trace their origins to Central China, but most bon-gwan (clan origins) are named after their initial places of settlement on the peninsula and date back to the Goryeo period (高丽时代), roughly contemporaneous with the fall of the Southern Song dynasty (南宋).
Commanderies of origin (junwang)
- Tianshui (天水)
- Zhuojun (涿郡)