Meaning and origin
The surname Cheng is transliterated from the Chinese character 程, which has several different meanings and origins.
The longer story
The surname Cheng is transliterated from the Chinese character 程, which has several different meanings and origins.
One possible origin of the surname Cheng is that it originated from the ancient state of Cheng in present-day Henan province. During the Zhou Dynasty, the state of Cheng was a vassal state and one of the Nine Tripod States. It is believed that those who served in the state of Cheng adopted the surname Cheng as a way to show their loyalty and affiliation.
Those who held this title might have adopted Cheng as their surname, which then passed down through generations.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
Similar spellings
#1,063
Cheng was the 1,063rd most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 32,982 people, about 11 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Cheng
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Cheng is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.