Migration and Distribution (Not available) The Lao surname is not included among the top 100 surnames in the main - land of China or Taiwan. The origin of the Lao clan's surname is related to a place name - Laoshan. Laoshan is also known as Laoshan (牢山 in Chinese pinyin), and in ancient times, it was called Laoshan (劳山 in Chinese pinyin). It is a famous mountain in Shandong, located on the east coast of Jiaozhou Bay, which is in the southeast of Jimo County. It is a well - known scenic spot. It is said that during the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the alchemist Xu Fu (also known as Xu Shi) led 3,000 boys and girls to go out to sea in search of immortals and the elixir of life, and they set sail from here. According to the "Yuanhe Xingzuan", the Lao clan got their surname because their ancestors lived in this area and adopted the place name as their surname. This family that originated from Laoshan in Shandong has always taken the Bohai Sea area as its center of reproduction. Currently, the ancestral home of Lao - surname families all over the country is here. The prominent branch of the Lao family resides in Wuyang County (now the east of Daming County, Hebei Province).