Tsai
A common Chinese surname, usually representing the Mandarin romanization of several different Chinese family names or characters depending on dialect and spelling system.
The #3,291 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 28,150 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tsai is a romanized Chinese surname most often associated with the Mandarin spelling of surnames written in Chinese characters such as 蔡, which is commonly pronounced Cài in Mandarin. In older or different romanization systems and dialects, the same family name may appear as Tsai, Choi, Chua, Chia, or other forms. Because Chinese surnames are tied to specific characters and dialect pronunciations, the English spelling alone does not uniquely identify the original character or literal meaning.
History
The surname is widely found among Chinese communities and in the overseas Chinese diaspora, especially through older Wade-Giles-style romanization, where Tsai was a common rendering. In modern mainland China, the pinyin spelling is usually Cai, while many people from Taiwan and older emigrant communities still use Tsai in Roman letters. As a result, the spelling is strongly associated with Chinese-language naming traditions rather than a single English-language family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Tsai is one of several Chinese surnames that can look quite different in Roman letters depending on the romanization system, even when the family name is the same in Chinese characters.