Kong (孔) Surname Meaning & Origin

Kong (孔) is a common Chinese surname. While 孔 has a literal meaning as a character, surnames don’t always reflect personal traits-the character is best read as a family label.

Chinese surnames (姓, xìng) have been used for centuries as a way to identify family lines and trace ancestry. For the surname Kong (孔), it’s helpful to understand how Chinese surnames generally formed and why the same surname can show up with different spellings.

Across different periods, families moved for work, study, military service, and trade. These migrations spread surnames widely and also created regional pronunciation differences. Because romanization converts sound into Latin letters, the same surname can appear with multiple spellings in English.

Many surnames began as the names of ancient states, fiefs, places of origin, or titles held by ancestors. Others developed from clan names, occupations, or honorifics. Over time, migration, administrative records, and local dialects shaped how a surname was written and pronounced.

If you’re researching this surname for a family story, combining oral history with documents (family registers, migration notes, or local gazetteers) usually gives the best results.

In Mandarin pinyin, it is written Kong. A tone-marked form is Kǒng.

Below are example full names combining the surname 孔 with common given-name characters (one-character given names shown for simplicity):
– 孔丽 (Kong Lì) – beautiful.
– 孔婷 (Kong Tíng) – graceful.
– 孔然 (Kong Rán) – so; thus.
– 孔晨 (Kong Chén) – morning.
– 孔浩 (Kong Hào) – vast.
– 孔杰 (Kong Jié) – outstanding.

In English contexts, the same surname may appear with alternate spellings depending on dialect and romanization. Using the character (孔) is the most reliable way to confirm it.