Song is the pinyin transliteration of the Chinese family name 宋. It is transliterated as Sung in Wade-Giles, and Soong is also a common transliteration. In addition to being a common surname, it is also the name of a Chinese dynasty, the Song Dynasty, written with the same character.
The first written record of the character Song was found on the oracle bones of the Shang dynasty. The origin of the character can possibly be dated to an even earlier time (ca. 3800 BC). Structurally, the character has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 4,000 years. The etymology of the character can possibly be traced back to the abstract representation of a totem symbol. With the outer (upper) radical denoting preciousness, and the inner (lower) character representing trees or woods, the entire character literally means "holy wood" or "treasured tree", possibly a totem symbol from the late Neolithic and Bronze Age.
In the written records of Chinese history, the first time the character Song was used as a surname appeared in the early stage of the Zhou dynasty. One of the children of the last emperor of Shang dynasty, Weizi Qi - (子啟), was a duke named Song. The State of Song, Song's personal dominion, became part of the Zhou dynasty after the fall of the Shang dynasty. Citizens of the former State of Song, to commemorate the overthrow of their state in 286 BC by the State of Qi, began to use the character Song as their surname.
A less common Chinese family name (崇 pinyin Chóng) can also be transliterated to Soong in some Chinese dialects.
The surname is also used in Korea.
In Vietnam, the surname is pronounced as Tống.
Song Yu, Zhou Dynasty poet
Song Yi, d. 207 BC, minister of Chu
Consort Song, empress during Han Dynasty
Empress Song (Han dynasty), empress during Han Dynasty
Song Xian, Three Kingdoms era military officer
Song Qian, officer of Eastern Wu during Three Kingdoms era
Song Hun, d. 361, regent of the Chinese state Former Liang during the Sixteen Kingdoms era
Song Bian, Northern Wei official, during Southern and Northern Dynasties period
Song Jing, b. 663, Tang Dynasty chancellor
Song Shenxi, d. 833, Tang Dynasty chancellor
Song Di, b. ca. 1015, Song Dynasty scholar-official and artist
Song Ci, b. 1186, Song Dynasty writer of Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified
Song Zhun, Song Dynasty scholar
Song Lian, b. 1310, Ming Dynasty historian
Song Maojin, b. 1368, Ming Dynasty landscape painter
Song Xu, b. 1525, Ming Dynasty landscape painter
Song Yingxing, b. 1587, Ming Dynasty scientist and encyclopedist
Charlie Soong, b. 1863, missionary and businessman, several of whose children were highly influential in early 20th century China:
children include (see, chronologically, below): Soong sisters (Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling and Soong Mei-ling), and their brother T. V. Soong
Sir Song Ong Siang, b. 1871, Singaporean lawyer and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Song Shijie, b. 1873, Chinese revolutionary
Song Jiaoren, b. 1882, President of the Kuomintang
Song Zheyuan, b. 1885, Kuomintang general
Soong Ai-ling, b. 1890, wife of H. H. Kung
Soong Ching-ling, b. 1893, wife of Sun Yat Sen
T. V. Soong, b. 1894, businessman and Premier of the Republic of China
Soong Mei-ling, b. 1897, wife of Chiang Kai-shek
Song Shi-Lun, b. 1899, PLA general
Song Renqiong, b. 1909, PLA general
Song Ping, b. 1919, Communist Party official
Song Xi, b. 1920, former President of the Chinese Culture University
James Soong, b. 1942, Republic of China governor
Song Defu, b. 1946, Communist Party politician
Sung, Chi-li, b. 1948, Taiwanese religious leader
Song Tao, b. 1955, diplomat and politician
Song Xiaobo, b. 1958, female basketball player and coach
Song Dandan, b. 1961, actress
Song Lianyong, b. 1965, football player from Hong Kong
Song Tao, b. 1965, basketball player
Song Zuying, b. 1966, ethnic Miao Chinese singer
Song Ligang, b. 1967, Chinese basketball player
Song Weiping, b. 1967, billionaire
Song Zude, b. 1968, entertainment manager
Anna Song, b. 1976, Taiwanese American journalist
Song Aimin, b. 1978, discus thrower
Devon Song, b. 1980, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
Song Lun, b. 1981, figure skater
Song Zhenyu, b. 1981, football player
Song Hongjuan, b. 1984, Chinese race walker
Sarah Song, b. 1985, Miss Chinese International 2007
Song Qian b. 1987, leader of the female South Korean group f(x)
Brenda Song, b. 1988, American actress, singer, and model
Song Dan, b. 1990, female Chinese javelin thrower
Song Nan, b. 1990, figure skater
Song Andong, b. 1997, first Chinese-born ice hockey player ever drafted by an NHL pro team (2015)
Song Jiang, major character in 14th century novel Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature
Song Qing younger brother of Song Jiang
Song Wan, fictional character in the Water Margin
Song Yiren, character featured within the famed Ming Dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods
Song Yuanqiao, b. 1295, character in novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong
Song Qingshu, son of Song Yuanqiao
Noonien Soong, The creator of the android Data in Star Trek
Arik Soong, Great grandfather of Noonien Soong
