Bai Jia Xing compound surname #12
公羊
公羊 is read as Gōngyáng. It is one of the 60 compound surnames in the expanded Bai Jia Xing sequence.
Pinyin
Gōngyáng
Script forms
Simplified and traditional 公羊
Meaning
ancestral-name surname from Gongyang, not an animal image
Five element
Wood
Origin
Time: Spring and Autumn period, 770-476 BCE
Place: State of Lu, Shandong
Origin
公羊 is traced to Lu, from descendants of Gongsun Yangru who took elements of the ancestral name as a surname. It is culturally important because of the Gongyang Commentary tradition on the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Name meaning
The surname is genealogical and classical. Gongyang Gao gives it a Confucian-textual association rather than a literal sheep image.
Historical figures
公羊高 Gongyang Gao
Gongyang Gao is traditionally linked with the Gongyang Commentary.