Mao (毛) Surname Meaning & Origin

Mao (毛) is a common Chinese surname. While 毛 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 Mao (毛), it’s helpful to understand how Chinese surnames generally formed and why the same surname can show up with different spellings.

It’s also common to see one-character surnames like this one paired with one- or two-character given names. For English readers, the key is consistency: decide on one spelling for official documents and use it everywhere.

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.

When in doubt, keep the Chinese character as the source of truth and treat different spellings as pronunciation-based variants.

Mandarin pinyin spelling: Mao. With tone marks: Máo.

Below are example full names combining the surname 毛 with common given-name characters (one-character given names shown for simplicity):
– 毛杰 (Mao Jié) – outstanding.
– 毛琪 (Mao Qí) – fine jade.
– 毛伟 (Mao Wěi) – great.
– 毛宇 (Mao Yǔ) – universe.
– 毛婷 (Mao Tíng) – graceful.
– 毛浩 (Mao Hào) – vast.

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