Ouyang

Ouyang (simplified Chinese: 欧阳; traditional Chinese: 歐陽; (Pinyin: Oūyáng) also spelt O'Young, Owyang, Au Yong, Auyong, Au Yeung, Au Ieong) is one of the most common two-character Chinese compound surnames in the world. However, it is not one of the top two hundred Chinese surnames, as documented by the Language Publication Society, Beijing in 1990. Ouyang constitutes one of the twenty-over two-character surnames that have survived in modern times

History

The Song Dynasty historian Ouyang Xiu traced the Ouyang surname to Di, a prince of Yue. After his state was extinguished by the state of Chu, Di and his family was living in the south side of Ou Yu Shan(欧余山，currently called Sheng Shan 升山 at Huzhou，Zhejiang province). In Chinese the south side of a mountain and the north bank of a river is called Yang（阳）, thus the Di Family was called Ouyang. He was called Marquis of Ouyangting (欧阳亭侯). Traditionally, Di's ancestry can be traced through his father Wujiang (无疆), the King of Yue, to the semi-legendary Yu the Great(大禹）.

Origin

The character Ou（欧）comes from Ou Yu Shan（Ou Yu Mountain,欧余山， currently called Sheng Shan（升山） at Huzhou, Zhejiang province), Yang(阳）means the south side of a mountain or the north bank of a river. The ancestor of Ouyang family was living in the south side of Ou Yu mountain, thus got this family name.

Geographical origins

In terms of distribution Ouyangs have mostly been confined to southern China, especially the areas of southern Jiangxi, central Hubei and eastern Henan, with smaller pockets in Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan and Guangxi.

Dailian, near Zhongshan City in Guangdong, China has been documented of having extensive History of Owyang, family records and family trees have been created and distributed to family members around the globe, commonly known as the Owyang Genealogy Book (hardbound, blue cover)

Notable clans

The most prominent of the Ouyang clans historically was undoubtedly that of Yongfeng (永丰) in Jiangxi, which produced a number of scholars who reached prominence in the imperial bureaucracy. Genealogical lineages and family trees have been established for a number of Ouyang clans around China, showing migration patterns from the Song to the Qing Dynasty.

Immigration outside of China

There was a large immigration of Ouyang's in the late 1800s and early 1900s to the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento Delta Area. In summer of 2005, the first extended Ouyang family reunion was held in Locke, near Sacramento. Over 200 Ouyangs attended and included speeches, sharing, family trees and documentation. This group continues to communicate using Ouyang Yahoo! Groups and spans members from across North America and beyond.