[Surname] surname Xiahou
My surname is Xiahou. My father said my ancestor is Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. Do you know the etymology of the surname Xiahou?
Replies
I was surprised since Chinese surnames are so rarely two characters!
It depends on what characters (chinese letters) are used, but Wikipedia says Dun and Yuan's Xiahou are spelled 夏侯. Wikipedia says 夏 can mean 'Xia dynasty' or 'Summer'. 侯 means 'Marquis/Lord'. As Dun and Yuan were both descended from a Marquis, this makes sense! The Xia dynasty was the first dynasty and semi-legendary. Your surname probably means Summer Lord or Xia Lord. Hope this helps!
Sources:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8F
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BE%AF
It depends on what characters (chinese letters) are used, but Wikipedia says Dun and Yuan's Xiahou are spelled 夏侯. Wikipedia says 夏 can mean 'Xia dynasty' or 'Summer'. 侯 means 'Marquis/Lord'. As Dun and Yuan were both descended from a Marquis, this makes sense! The Xia dynasty was the first dynasty and semi-legendary. Your surname probably means Summer Lord or Xia Lord. Hope this helps!
Sources:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8F
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BE%AF
It's definitely Asian, maybe Chinese?