Xiao surname has existed since ancient times and coexists with Xiao surname! After the implementation of simplified Chinese characters in Chinese mainland in 1970s, all the meanings of the whole word "Xiao" were merged into "Xiao" (not just the surname). So all Xiao surnames were written as Xiao surnames (just as Liu surnames were written as Liu surnames in a simplified version). However, after the formal abolition of the two simplified characters, it was very difficult to change the surname, so few people changed their surname back to Xiao.
There are also views that China originally had a "Xiao surname", but its origin is different from that of "Xiao surname". The surname "Xiao" did rarely appear in history, but it was very rare. Ling Di's Genealogy of Surnames in Ming Dynasty (Volume 103): "Xiao: Han, Xiao 'an Valley. Xiao Shi, Xiao Yu, Xiao Tong (Chen Dou stayed to watch the drama). Ming, Xiao Jing, Xiangcheng people, Xuande in Jieyuan. "
There is no Xiao surname in Hongkong, Taiwan Province Province or overseas Chinese areas. This can indirectly prove that the vast majority of Xiao surnames today are actually simplified by two simplified words "Xiao surnames".
Shaw originated in today's Shandong Province. In the pre-Qin period, Xiao people were separated from their families because of the country, and their families were weak. During the Qin and Han dynasties, social unrest forced Xiao to move out and enter the first development and immigration period. After a long-term relocation, the surname of the Xiao family spread from the original settlement to the surrounding areas, and celebrities came forth in large numbers. Xiao He in Han Dynasty is a typical representative. In his early years, he assisted Liu Bang in the uprising, and after capturing Xianyang, he paid attention to collecting books on Qin decrees.
A large number of materials, such as county household registration and social conditions, made great contributions to the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty and helped Liu Bang eliminate the princes with different surnames. His descendants were also high-ranking officials in the Han Dynasty, who made great contributions to the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, so the family prospered, and several big county kings were formed during this period. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the Three Kingdoms, wars were frequent. Coupled with the "Yongjia Rebellion" in the Jin Dynasty, the gentry moved south and the Xiao people moved south, which further developed the family. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao became famous in the world and Qi Liang was established, which made Xiao's development enter its heyday.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the society was relatively stable and the economy was prosperous. On the one hand, people surnamed Xiao are all over the world, and on the other hand, because of the emergence of new elements, that is, the family, a Qidan nationality living in the north and northeast of China, has become a huge aristocratic family. During this period, Xiao also traveled to Fujian and Guangdong. So far, before the Tang and Song Dynasties, Xiao had been widely distributed in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong and other places.
During the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Xiao traveled to Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei and other provinces in the south, and celebrities continued to make Xiao famous. Since the last years of Qing Emperor Kangxi, the Xiao clan has moved to Taiwan Province Province many times, and some of them have also been scattered overseas, making the Xiao family truly spread all over the country. Today, Shore is widely distributed in China, especially in Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Shandong, Guangdong and other provinces. Xiao in six provinces accounts for about 69% of the surname population in Han Xiao, China.
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia/Xiao