Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wei, Hong, Jian, Jing, Li, Ping, Yan, Yang, Yong, Bin, Chan, Cheng. Vietnamese Thanh, Quang, Cuong, Dung, Hung, Binh, Minh, Duong, Hao, Hien, Liem, Lien.Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 杜, meaning ‘birchleaf pear’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by descendants of Du Kang (杜康), an official noted as a winemaker during the reign of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC ). (ii) from the placename Du (杜), the name of a city (located in Shaanxi province) granted to Du Bo (杜伯, the Earl of Du), head of the state of Du (杜), who was eventually killed by King Xuan of Zhou (reigned 827–782 BC ). After that, the state of Du (杜) was annexed and the name of the state was adopted as a surname. (iii) adopted as a surname by the Du Gu Hun (獨孤渾) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD ).Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 都, meaning ‘capital’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name Zi Du (子都), style name of Gong-Sun Yu, an official in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC ). (ii) shortened form of the compound surname Gong Du (公都), which is sometimes traced back to Tian, a prince in the state of Chu who was granted the fief Du (都), or alternatively to Gong Du Zi (公都子), an official in the state of Qi.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.