Xiong's literal meaning is "
bear". In
ancient China, it was used as a
clan name by a branch of the
Mi (), the
royal family of the
state of Chu. As recorded by
Sima Qian, they claimed descent from
Zhuanxu, a son of the
Yellow Emperor in
Chinese mythology, and
Yuxiong (), a
tutor of the
King Wen of Zhou in the 11th century BC. After the victory of the
King Wu of Zhou over the
Shang dynasty at the
Battle of Muye Yuxiong's descendants supposedly remained prominent at the Zhou court and took the surname Xiong. The
King Cheng of Zhou then
appointed Xiong Yi, Yuxiong's great-grandson, viscount of the
fief of Chu. More likely, the clan name is a
calque of a non-
Sinitic dynasty, with modern scholarship believing the character was used to transcribe a
Kam–Tai word also meaning "bear". Eventually rising to the status of
kings, the family retained control of Chu until its conquest by
Qin during the
Warring States period. Some regained control of later successor states and the surname remains prominent in the
provinces formerly comprising the territory of Chu. ==List of persons with the surname==