Hsieh
A Chinese surname, most often the romanization of 謝, meaning “to thank” or “to express gratitude.”
The #5,453 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,378 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hsieh is a Romanized form of the Chinese surname 謝, most commonly pronounced Xie in Mandarin and often rendered Hsieh in older Wade-Giles-style spellings. The underlying character means “to thank,” “to express gratitude,” or, more broadly, “to apologize” or “to decline politely.” As with many Chinese surnames, the spelling reflects a transcription system rather than a separate family name in origin.
History
The surname 謝 has long been established in China and is found among Chinese communities across Taiwan, mainland China, Southeast Asia, and the overseas diaspora. In English-language contexts, Hsieh is especially associated with older romanization practices and with Taiwanese usage, where this spelling has remained common in personal names and passports. Because different romanization systems can represent the same Chinese surname in different ways, Hsieh may correspond to other spellings such as Xie.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In modern standard Mandarin, the surname 謝 is pronounced Xie, but the Hsieh spelling persists in many English-language records because it reflects older romanization conventions.