"Guo", written in Chinese: 郭, is one of the most common Chinese surnames and means "the wall that surrounds a city" in Chinese. It can also be transliterated into English as Cok, Gou, Quo, Quach, Quek, Que, Keh, Kuo, Kwo, Kuoch, Kok, Koc, Kwee, Kwek, Kwik, Kwok, Kuok, Kuek, Gock, Koay, or Ker. The Korean equivalent is spelled Kwak; the Vietnamese equivalent is Quach. The different ways of spelling this surname indicate the origin of the family. For example, the Cantonese "Kwok" originated in Hong Kong and the surrounding area. It is the 18th most common family name in China and can be traced as far back as the Xia Dynasty. There are eight legendary origins of the Guo surname, which include a Persian (Hui) origin, a Korean origin, and a Mongolian origin, as a result of sinicization. However, the majority of people bearing the surname Guo are descended from the Han Chinese. In 2019, Guo was the 16th common surname in Mainland China. Origins Royal Ancestors Legend has it that the Guo family is descended from Yellow Emperor (黃帝), who is traditionally said to have ruled China around 2697–2597 or 2698–2598 BC. Yellow Emperor had 25 sons, 14 of which were offered by Yellow Emperor with 12 names. The first son of Yellow Emperor was Shaohao, bearing the surname Jī (姬) . Shaohao begot Qiaoji (蟜極). Qiaoji begot Emperor Ku. Emperor Ku begot Hou Ji. Hou Ji was the founder of Zhou kingdom in northwestern China. Hou Ji begot Buzhu. Buzhu begot Ji Ju. Ji Ju begot Gong Liu. Gong Liu begot Qingjie. After nine generations following Qingjie, their descendant King Ji of Zhou became the king of Zhou. Primogenitor The surname of Guō descended from Prince Guo Shu (虢叔), the 3rd son of King Ji of Zhou. The character guó (虢, /*kʷraːɡ/) is rare in Chinese, and means "to hunt and flay a tiger", indicating that Guo Shu was a brave warrior. During the war unifying China, King Wen of Zhou always consulted his two younger brothers Guo Zhong (half brother) and Guo Shu (full brother). After establishing Zhou dynasty, King Wu of Zhou feoffed his uncle and mentor Guo Shu to the Western Guo (西虢) around 1054 b.c. Guo Shu was named the Duke of Guo (虢公) or with same pronunciation the Duke of Guo (郭公) since after. Guo Shu is regarded by Guo's clan as their