Chen (陈) Surname
Tan: Derived from Hokkien (Minnan) pronunciation. According to the Dictionary of the Amoy Vernacular (1873), “Chen” is pronounced “Tân” in Hokkien. This spelling is earliest seen in the 1820 archives of the British East India Company, which recorded the Penang merchant Tan Kim Seng. The inaugural issue of Singapore’s Lat Pau (1889) also used “Tan Kim Ching” for the Hokkien community leader.
Chan: The standard Cantonese pronunciation spelling. According to the Cantonese Romanisation Scheme (1893), “Chen” in Cantonese is pronounced “Chàn”. This form first appeared in Hong Kong government archives in 1845 and was later brought to Singapore and Malaya by Cantonese immigrants. Business documents from 1873 of Kapitan Yap Ah Loy (Chan Ah Lak) of Kuala Lumpur used this spelling.
Chin: A Hakka (Meixian accent) transliteration. Linguist Yuan Jiahua pointed out in Essentials of Chinese Dialects (1960) that “Chen” in Hakka is pronounced “Chhîn”. This spelling is found in payroll lists of Perak tin miners from the late 19th century, such as the Hakka miner Chin Yuk Lean.
Lin (林) Surname
Lim: Hokkien romanisation. According to Studies in Southern Fujian Dialects (1902), “Lin” in the Amoy dialect is pronounced “Lîm”. Early immigrant documents show that in the 1825 stone inscription of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Malacca, the Hokkien temple founder Lim Seh Ho used this spelling. It became the standard spelling for Hokkien Lins.
Lam: Standard Cantonese romanisation. According to the Cantonese Romanisation Scheme (1912), “Lin” is pronounced “Làhm”. This spelling appears in the 1890 stele record of the Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng in Singapore, where the Cantonese community leader Lam Lo was recorded, making it the traditional spelling for Cantonese Lins.
Huang (黄) Surname
Ng / Ooi: Variants of Hokkien pronunciation. Linguist Luo Changpei noted in The Phonetic System of the Amoy Dialect (1931) that the literary reading of “Huang” in Hokkien is “N̂g”, and the colloquial reading is “Ûi”. The “Ng” spelling is found in archives of the Penang Khoo Kongsi from 1840, while “Ooi” is a specific variant of Penang Hokkien, seen in Penang court documents from 1860.
Wong: Standard Cantonese spelling. According to Standard Cantonese Pinyin (1915), “Huang” is pronounced “Wòhng”. This form first appeared in Hong Kong government archives around 1850 and was introduced to Singapore and Malaya by Cantonese immigrants in the 19th century, e.g., in official documents of Kuala Lumpur Kapitan Wong Chee Ying (1890).
Eng: A special Teochew variant. Teochew scholar Cai Junming recorded in Teochew Dialect Vocabulary (1976) that “Huang” in Teochew is pronounced “Uâng”. Due to auditory mishearing by early British colonial officers, the initial vowel was recorded as “Eng”. This spelling is found in the archives of the Singapore Teo Chew Poit Ip Huay Kuan from 1880.
Li (李) Surname
Lee / Li: Variants of Mandarin-based romanisation. According to research in the journal Philologist (1952), the “Lee” spelling originated from the Wade-Giles system (1867), while “Li” is a variant from the Postal Romanisation system. Early Straits-born Chinese predominantly used “Lee”, such as Lee Choon Guan, founder of the Straits Chinese Magazine (1900); post-WWII immigrants more commonly use “Li”.
Lay / Lei: Dialect variants. According to A Syllabary of Chinese Dialect Pronunciations (1962), “Li” is pronounced “Lí” in Teochew and “Lī” in Hakka. Early colonial officials recorded these based on auditory perception as “Lay” (Teochew) and “Lei” (Hakka), e.g., in the registration record of “Lay Ah Sam” in the Johor Kangchu system archives of 1885.
Zhang (张) Surname
Teo / Tew: Hokkien romanisation. According to Studies in Amoy Phonology (1930), “Zhang” in Amoy is pronounced “Tiuⁿ”. In early immigration records, Teo Lay, founder of the Changli Company in Penang (1820), was recorded as “Teo Lay”. “Tew” is a Penang Hokkien variant, seen in Penang land deeds from 1850.
Cheung / Cheong: Cantonese romanisation variants. Linguist Yuen Ren Chao noted in Cantonese Primer (1947) that “Zhang” is pronounced “Jēung”. The early form “Cheong” appears in the 1860 stele of the Kwong Fook I Hospital in Singapore; it was later standardised to “Cheung”, e.g., in official documents of Kuala Lumpur community leader Cheong Yoke Choy (1890).
Wu (吴) Surname
Goh / Ng: A double-reading phenomenon in Hokkien. According to Studies in Southern Fujian Dialects (1902), the literary reading is “Ng”, and the colloquial reading is “Gô”. Early immigrants mostly used the colloquial “Goh”, e.g., “Goh Hock Tong” on the 1820 stele of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Malacca; the “Ng” spelling is more common in later 20th-century formal documents.
Ng: Cantonese romanisation. According to the Cantonese Romanisation Scheme (1915), “Wu” is pronounced “Ǹg”. This spelling first appeared in Hong Kong government archives in 1840 and was introduced to Singapore and Malaya by Cantonese immigrants, e.g., the registration of Ng Sin Chay, a founder of the Singapore Ying Fo Fui Kuan, in 1880.
Liu (刘) Surname
Low / Lau: Spellings reflecting dialect differences. Linguist Wang Li pointed out in History of Chinese Phonology (1957) that “Liu” is pronounced “Làuh” in Cantonese and “Lâu” in Teochew. In early colonial archives, Cantonese individuals were often registered as “Low” (e.g., the Penang merchant Low Kin Heng, 1860), while Teochew individuals were registered as “Lau”.
Liew / Lew: Hakka romanisation variants. According to Hakka Dialects (1994), “Liu” in the Meixian dialect is pronounced “Liù”. The early spelling “Lew” is found in Perak miner directories from 1870; “Liew” became the standardised spelling in the 20th century, e.g., the registration of Selangor community leader Liew See Tiap in 1920.
Wang (王) Surname
Ong: Standard Hokkien romanisation. According to the Dictionary of the Amoy Vernacular (1873), “Wang” is pronounced “Ông”. This spelling is earliest seen in the 1819 registration record of Ong Tuan, an interpreter who accompanied Stamford Raffles upon his landing in Singapore.
Wong: Standard Cantonese romanisation. According to Standard Cantonese Pinyin (1915), “Wang” is pronounced “Wòhng”. This form was introduced by Cantonese immigrants in the 19th century, e.g., Wong Hon Teong, one of the five great surnames of Penang, registered in 1860.
Heng: A special Teochew variant. Teochew researcher Lin Lunlun noted in A Diachronic Study of the Teochew Dialect (1995) that “Wang” in Teochew is pronounced “Huâng”. Due to auditory mishearing by early British colonial officers, the initial was recorded as “H”, resulting in this spelling, found in the archives of the Singapore Ngee Ann Kongsi from 1880.
Cai (蔡) Surname
Chua / Chuah: Hokkien romanisation. Linguist Dong Tonghe recorded in Chinese Phonology (1954) that “Cai” in Amoy is pronounced “Chhòa”. The standard spelling “Chua” appears in the archives of Malacca’s Chua Soo Cheong from 1820; “Chuah” is a Penang Hokkien variant, found in Penang title deeds from 1850.
Choi: Standard Cantonese romanisation. According to the Cantonese Romanisation Scheme (1912), “Cai” is pronounced “Choi”. This spelling was introduced by Cantonese immigrants in the 19th century, e.g., in business documents of Kuala Lumpur Kapitan Choi Ah Sek (1870).
Chai: Hakka romanisation. According to the Hakka Pinyin Scheme (1960), “Cai” in the Meixian dialect is pronounced “Chhai”. This spelling is found in Perak miner directories from 1880, e.g., the Hakka miner Chai Yok.
Yang (杨) Surname
Yeoh / Yeo: Hokkien romanisation variants. According to Studies in Southern Fujian Dialects (1930), “Yang” in Hokkien is pronounced “Iû”. The early spelling “Yeoh” is found in the archives of the Penang Yeo Kongsi from 1820; “Yeo” is a variant common in Singapore, appearing in the 1840 stele inscription of the Thian Hock Keng Temple in Singapore.
Yeung: Standard Cantonese romanisation. Linguist Huang Xiling noted in A Chinese Syllabary Pronounced According to the Dialect of Canton (1941) that “Yang” is pronounced “Yèuhng”. This spelling was introduced by Cantonese immigrants, e.g., the Penang merchant Yeung Cheong On, registered in 1860.