Liang
A major Chinese surname and given-name element that can mean different things depending on the Chinese character behind it.
The #1,480 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,790 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Liang is a Romanization of several Chinese surnames and name elements written with different characters, so its meaning is not fixed in English. In many cases it reflects Mandarin liang, a syllable that can represent characters meaning 'good,' 'bright,' 'cool,' 'beam,' or other senses, depending on the family line and written form. Because the same spelling can stand for multiple Chinese characters, a precise literal meaning cannot be given without the original script.
History
Liang has long been used as a surname in Chinese-speaking communities and is common in modern diaspora populations, including the United States. It is also familiar outside the surname context as a Chinese given-name element, which can make the spelling appear in many different records. English-language census and immigration records often collapse distinct Chinese surnames into the same Romanized form, so the same spelling may represent different family traditions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Roman spelling can hide several different Chinese characters, so two families named Liang may not share the same ancestral surname in Chinese script.