Ng
A common Chinese surname, especially associated with Cantonese spellings of names pronounced closer to Ng, Ng, or Eng in different dialects.
The #1,125 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,893 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ng is a Chinese surname written with different characters depending on family line and romanization system, so the spelling alone does not point to a single original character. In many English-language records it reflects Cantonese or related southern Chinese pronunciations of surnames that may be rendered very differently in Mandarin-based spelling. Because of that, the surname is best understood as a romanized form tied to Chinese family names rather than an English word with a literal meaning of its own.
History
The spelling Ng became especially familiar in overseas Chinese communities where Cantonese romanization was common, including Hong Kong, Guangdong, Southeast Asia, and later North America and other English-speaking regions. In American records it often appears as a fixed surname spelling even when the family’s original character may be shared with other romanizations such as Wu, Ng, Ngoh, or Eng, depending on dialect and system. The name is widespread in diaspora communities and can represent more than one unrelated Chinese surname character.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because English spelling is so short, Ng is often treated as unusual, but in Chinese diaspora records it is a very practical romanization of a much older surname tradition.