kòng 空

### Migration and Distribution (Insufficient data) The Kong (空) surname is not ranked among the top 100 surnames in the Mainland and Taiwan. The Kong clan evolved from the historical compound surname Kongsang (空桑). It is said that Yi Yin, a worthy minister in the early Shang Dynasty, was born in Kongsang (now Kaifeng, Henan, or some believe it to be in the area of Qufu, Shandong). His son was named Kongsang, and among his descendants, some took Yi Yin's birthplace as their surname, becoming the Kongsang clan, which was later simplified to the Kong clan. Another theory suggests that it originated from Kongtong (also known as Kongtong, 空桐). In the Shang Dynasty, Qi, an ancestor of the Zi surname (legend has it that Qi was a descendant of Huangdi), had descendants who were enfeoffed in Kongtong. Their descendants took the name of the state as their surname, becoming the Kongtong clan, which was later simplified to the Kong surname. The prominent families of the Kong clan are mainly located in Gongqiu County (now in the northern part of Zibo City, Shandong. Some also believe it to be in the southeast of Changle County, Shandong) and Dunqiu (now in Henan Province).