Romanization Ts'ung, Tsung Language(s) Chinese | Pronunciation Cóng (Mandarin) Word/Name Xiongnu | |
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Definition
Cong (叢/丛) is a Chinese word (noun quantifier) meaning clump, thicket, bush, and/or shrubbery. The word is also a measure word for flowers however has been informally used for a group of people or things.
Background
Cong surname is the name of a relatively small population of Chinese. Not to be confused with other "congs", e.g. in Vietnamese. The surname is said to be from a group of people in the city of Wendeng(文登) in China's Shandong province. Residents with this surname can also be found In Japan, Korea, Mongolia and other Asian countries.
Historical origins
The Congs are originally of Xiongnu origin. They trace their ancestry to King Xiutu of the Xiongnu. In 121 BC, Xiongnu King Hunxie killed King Xiutu when Xiutu refused to surrender to the Chinese with Hunxie. The fourteen-year-old Crown Prince Midi was taken to China and raised as a stable hand. One day, when Emperor Wu of Han was inspecting the horses with his wives, all the servants were mesmerized by the royal entourage, except for Midi. Emperor Wu of Han took favor of the prince and granted him the Chinese surname Jin, meaning gold, because the prince used to make sacrifices with golden statues as a part of the Xiongnu rituals.
Jin Midi and his descendants later rose to prominent positions in the Han court. However, due to dynastic changes, the descendants of Jin Midi were persecuted for their royalist ties to the Han Dynasty. The Jins escaped and after over forty years of wandering, they eventually arrived at Cong Hill in Buye, modern day Wendeng, Shandong Province, and changed their surname to Cong.
Rank
Cong is ranked as the 127th most popular Chinese surname. The population with the surname Cong tend to be more concentrated in the northern regions of China.
People with the last name Cong accounts for about 0.1% of Han population.