Dong Family History

Chinese : from a character that also means ‘to supervise’ or ‘to manage’. The story goes that in the 23rd century bc, an adviser to the emperor Shun was given this surname due to his ability to supervise and train dragons. Additionally, at one time during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc), Dong was part of the title of official historians. The descendants of a historian of the state of Jin adopted the character for Dong from their ancestor’s title and used it as a surname. Vietnamese ({D-}ông and {D-}ô`ng): unexplained.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press