Kao (高)
A Taiwanese surname.
高 Kao
- Zhuyin
- ㄍㄠ
- Pinyin
- gāo
- Wade-Giles
- Kao
- Further spellings of 高
- Gau, Gao
- Taiwanese Hokkien (Tâi-lô)
- Ko
- Hakka (Sixian)
- go²⁴
- Rank in Taiwan
- 31st most common surname, roughly 0.77% of the population (2023 Ministry of the Interior figures)
What the character means
'High, tall'; it also means 'superior' and 'expensive'.
Where the surname comes from
Tradition traces it to Gao Xi (高傒), a senior minister of Qi descended from Jiang Taigong; the best-known branch is his line, the Gao of Bohai (渤海). Hall name (堂號): 渤海堂.
Saying it 我姓高 — wǒ xìng gāo (ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄍㄠ), "my family name is 高"
Sources: rank and share, 內政部 全國姓名統計分析 (Ministry of the Interior, National Name Statistics), data as of 2023-06-30. Taiwanese Hokkien readings, 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 (MOE Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi), 百家姓 appendix. Hakka, 教育部臺灣客語辭典 (MOE Dictionary of Taiwan Hakka), 百家姓表, Sixian (四縣腔).