Leong
A surname of Chinese origin, most often a romanization of a name pronounced roughly “Leung” in Cantonese or related forms in other Chinese languages.
The #3,902 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,950 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Leong is usually a romanized Chinese surname, especially reflecting Cantonese pronunciation. It commonly represents the Chinese surname 梁, which has the general sense of a beam or bridge support, though different romanization systems can produce similar spellings from related Chinese surnames or local pronunciations. Because the spelling varies by dialect and by country of transcription, the exact Chinese character behind a given family line cannot be assumed without family records.
History
The surname became especially visible in English-speaking countries through migration from southern China, particularly Guangdong and nearby regions where Cantonese was widely spoken. In overseas communities, spellings were shaped by local Romanization habits, so Leong often appears alongside forms such as Leung, Liang, or Leung/Leong-style spellings in diaspora records. The name is now well established in places such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In overseas Chinese communities, the same family surname can appear under several different English spellings depending on dialect and immigration-era clerks, so Leong and Leung may sometimes be branches of the same underlying Chinese name.