Chinese surname · rank 252
刁
刁 is read as diāo.
diāo
Simplified and traditional 刁
tricky, sly, crafty, cunning
Earth
Time: Ancient occupation and Diao state traditions, Han Dao-Diao mixed writing layer, Three-Kingdoms and Jin Bohai clan layer, Tang-Five-Dynasties and Song figure layers, and modern regional concentration layer; Ancient surname tradition, before 221 BCE; exact calendar year not pinned by the attached sources
Place: Hongnong commandery tradition, Bohai Rao'an around today's Yanshan in Hebei, Pengcheng around today's Xuzhou in Jiangsu, Danyang around today's Dangtu in Anhui, Guangdong and surrounding southern regions, and Shandong-centered Hebei-Jiangsu-Anhui region
Origin note
is treated as a layered surname with several source-backed explanations. One layer is occupational: surname references connect or with ancient craft workers called diaoren, and 23mofang notes that and are treated as linked or interchangeable surname forms. Another layer is state-name based: later surname references and Zupulu preserve a Ji-surname Diao state tradition, in which people of the old Diao state simplified to . A third layer is tribal-name based: ancient southern Diaoti groups are mentioned as a possible source for some Diao families. A fourth layer is spelling or changed-form based: 23mofang notes that in the Han period the Diao and Dao surnames were sometimes mixed, and later sources also mention minority surname changes. These layers are kept parallel because the evidence points to multiple origins rather than one single founder.
Historical figures
Historical figures to enrich
This surname page is ready for a fame-ranked figure list. Later passes can add generals, poets, rulers, artists, scholars and modern public figures with source links.