Chia (surname)

Chia is a surname. It is a Latin-alphabet spelling of various Chinese surnames, as well as an Italian surname.

Chia
PronunciationPronounced in English roughly as /t͡ʃia/ for Chinese surnames, and /kia/ for the Italian surname
Language(s)Often Chinese, also sometimes Italian
Other names
Variant form(s)
  • Jia, Kar (家, 賈)
  • Jia (郟, 甲)
  • Xie, Hsieh, Tse ()
  • Che ()

Statistics

Chia was the 20th-most common Chinese surname in Singapore as of 1997 (ranked by English spelling, rather than by Chinese characters). Roughly 22,600 people, or 0.9% of the Chinese Singaporean population at the time, bore the surname Chia.[1] Among respondents to the 2000 United States Census, Chia was the 856th-most common surname among Asian Pacific Americans, and 17,530th-most common overall, with 1,481 bearers (72.78% of whom identified as Asian/Pacific Islander).[2] In Italy, 72 families bore the surname Chia, with more than half located in Sardinia.[3]

Origins

Chia may be a spelling of a number of Chinese surnames, based on different varieties of Chinese, listed below by their romanisation in Mandarin pinyin:

  • Jia (various characters and tones), all spelled Chia in the Wade–Giles romanisation of Mandarin used before the development of pinyin, and still widespread in Taiwan.[4]
    • Jiā (; IPA: /t͡ɕia⁵⁵/)[5]
    • Jiá (; IPA: /t͡ɕia³⁵/), which originated as a toponymic surname.[5]
    • Jiǎ (; IPA: /t͡ɕia²¹⁴/), which also originated as a toponymic surname referring to the State of Jia, one of the ancient Chinese states, a feudal territory granted to a son of Shu Yu of Tang, located in modern-day Linfen, Shanxi.[5]
    • Jiǎ (; IPA: /t͡ɕia²¹⁴/), which originated as a shortening of an ancient toponymic surname Jiǎfù (甲父).[5]
  • Xiè (), spelled Chia based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects, including:[6]
  • Chē (), spelled Chia based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects, including:[8]
    • Hokkien (POJ: Chhia, IPA: /t͡ɕʰia⁴⁴/)
    • Teochew (Peng'im: Cia1; IPA: /t͡sʰia³³/)[9]

It is also an Italian toponymic surname referring to Chia, Province of South Sardinia. That toponym may have originated from a Phoenician word for "valley".[10]

Chinese surname 谢

  • Chia Boon Leong (谢文良; born 1925), Singaporean footballer
  • Eric Chia (谢英福; 1930s–2008), Malaysian businessman
  • Nicholas Chia (谢益裕; born 1938), third Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
  • Chia Thye Poh (谢太宝; born 1941), Singaporean political activist imprisoned for 23 years without charge or trial
  • Yvonne Chia (谢姚依雯; born c.1953), Malaysian banker
  • Mantak Chia (謝明德; born 1944), Thai Taoist master
  • Chia Yong Yong (谢邕邕; born 1962), Singaporean lawyer and politician
  • Steve Chia (谢镜丰; born 1970), Singaporean politician
  • Danny Chia (谢志荣; born 1972), Malaysian golfer
  • Michelle Chia (谢韵仪; born 1975), Singaporean actress
  • Elvin Chia (谢俊道; born 1977), Malaysian swimmer
  • Amber Chia (谢丽萍; born 1981), Malaysian model and actress
  • Kimberly Chia (谢静仪; born 1995), Singaporean actress
  • Aaron Chia (谢定峰; born 1997), Malaysian badminton player
  • Nelson Chia (谢燊杰), Singaporean television actor and director

Chinese surname 賈

Other or unknown

People with a non-Chinese surname Chia, or whose names as written in Chinese characters are not available:

References

  1. "Popular Chinese Surnames in Singapore". Statistics Singapore Newsletter. 20 (2). October 1997. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  2. "Most common last names for Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S." Mongabay. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  3. "Diffusione del cognome Chia". Mappe dei Cognomi Italiani. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  4. Louie, Emma Woo (1988). Chinese American Names: Tradition and Transition. McFarland. pp. 40, 75, 183. ISBN 9780786438778.
  5. Chao, Sheau-yueh J. (2000). Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 31.
  6. Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter, eds. (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. p. 491. ISBN 9780192527479.
  7. Fielde, Adele M. (1883). "謝". A pronouncing and defining dictionary of the Swatow dialect, arranged according to syllables and tones. Shanghai: American Presbyterian Mission Press. p. 94. Additionally see "謝". mogher.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  8. Hanks, Coates & McClure, p. 491
  9. Fielde 1883, p. 94. Additionally see "車". mogher.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  10. Concas, Giuseppe. "Chia". Origine & significato dei cognome sardi. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
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