Explore the Family Name Xiong
The meaning of Xiong
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 熊, meaning ‘bears’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc), who is said to have established his capital in You Xiong (有熊), in present-day Xinzheng in Henan province, and to have earned the title You Xiong Shi (有熊氏). The surname Xiong (Hung, 熊) is the second element of the title. (ii) traced back to Yu Xiong (鬻熊), who is said to have been the teacher of King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). Yu Xiong’s great-grandson Xiong Yi (熊绎) was granted lands in Danyang (in present-day southeastern Zigui in Hebei province) by King Cheng of Zhou (reigned 1042–1021 BC) and established the state of Chu. Kings and their descendants from the state of Chu adopted 熊 as a surname. 2. Southeast Asian (Hmong): from the name of the Xiong clan of the Hmong people in Laos, China, and Vietnam; in Chinese characters it is written 熊 (see 1 above). Compare Song 7. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Chue, Tong, Ying, Yia, Chao, Mee, Chou, Chia, Kou, Nhia, Kao, Yang, Neng, Vang, Pao, Yer, Toua, Vue, Blia, Chong, Youa, Blong, Yeng, Soua, Mai, Hue, Thao, Dang, Long, Dao, Bao, Pha, Da, Hai, Kha, Khue.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Xiong in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Xiong has experienced a significant increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Xiong was ranked the 1,219th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had climbed to the 929th spot, a change of approximately 23.79%. The count of people with the surname also rose from 26,336 in 2000 to 37,499 in 2010, marking an impressive growth of 42.39%. This means that the proportion of individuals named Xiong per 100k people increased by 30.23% over this ten-year period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,219 | #929 | 23.79% |
| Count | 26,336 | 37,499 | 42.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 9.76 | 12.71 | 30.23% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Xiong
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Xiong, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that it is overwhelmingly linked to the Asian/Pacific Islander group. In 2000, about 94.70% of those bearing the name identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, increasing to 98.07% in 2010. Over the same period, we see a significant decrease in the proportion identifying with two or more races, dropping from 4.66% to 1.14%. Other ethnicities such as White and Hispanic saw minimal increases, while there were small emergences of Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities tied to the surname by 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 94.7% | 98.07% | 3.56% |
| Two or More Races | 4.66% | 1.14% | -75.54% |
| Hispanic | 0.29% | 0.35% | 20.69% |
| White | 0.3% | 0.33% | 10% |
| Black | 0% | 0.07% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.03% | 0% |
Xiong ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Xiong is Chinese, which comprises 76.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese Dai (14.7%) and Vietnamese (3.4%). Additional ancestries include French & German, British & Irish, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, Manchurian & Mongolian, and Korean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 76.2% |
| Chinese Dai | 14.7% |
| Vietnamese | 3.4% |
| Other | 5.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Xiong
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Xiong have recent ancestry locations all within China.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 69.80% |
| Jiangsu, China | 69.50% |
| Shandong, China | 68.80% |
| Zhejiang, China | 68.50% |
| Hunan, China | 68.50% |
What Xiong haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Xiong is O-F1275, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F1275 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-FGC19713 and D-Z27276, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Yang, Au, Kwok, Wong, Lo, Guo, Chow, He, Li, Chan.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Xiong surname are: M, B4a, B5a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroups B4 and B5 are quite frequent in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, centered in Zhongyuan, China's Central Plain. The spread of Han people, language and culture from northern to southern China only occurred in the last 2,000 years, and was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Xiong have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Xiong" Surname 30.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Xiong" Surname 20.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Xiong" Surname 20.2%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Xiong" Surname 5.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Xiong?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Xiong are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition