Chao surname:
The single surname originates from the Jurchen tribe, and its ancestor is Nipangu Chaowu, a Jurchen general of the Jin Dynasty.
Nipangu·Chaowu, according to the historical book "History of the Jin Dynasty": "There was a Chaowu in the Jin Dynasty, named Meng'an (head of a thousand households)." The Jurchen surname is Nipangu. Because he offended Wanyan Sijing, an important minister of the Jin Kingdom Pingzhang Zhengshi (prime minister), Wanyan Sijing sent someone to escort him to Beijing to discuss the crime. Nipangu Chaowu was unwilling to be humiliated by Wanyan Sijing and committed suicide on the way. The descendants of Nipangu Chaowu commemorated the achievements of their ancestors and took their first name "Chaowu" as their surname. Later, the Han Dynasty simplified it and changed it to the Chao family. The Chao clan regards Nipangu Chaowu as the ancestor of their surname.
After the fall of the Jin Dynasty, its descendants integrated into the Han nationality.
Henan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Jilin, and Heilongjiang all have this surname.
The Chao surname among the Manchus is a returning surname, because the predecessors of the Manchus were Jurchens.