Chinese: variant of the surname 宗 meaning ‘ancestors forebears’ in Chinese: (i) from Zong Bo (宗伯) the name of an official post during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) which took charge of the management of the rituals and ceremonies of the royal families.

(ii) from the personal name of Bo Zong (伯宗) style name of an official in the state of Jin (located mainly in present-day Shanxi province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). He was later persecuted to death and his eldest son Zhou Li fled towards the state of Chu and was given the fief Zhong Li (鐘離) which was the origin of the surname 鐘 (see Zhong).

But Bo Zong's youngest son Lian Jia still stayed in the state of Jin and adopted Zong part of his father's style name as his surname.