Lang (surname)

Lang is a surname of Germanic origin, closely related to Lange, Laing and Long, all of which mean "tall".

Independently of this, it is also a surname of Manchu-Chinese origin (Chinese: 郎; pinyin: Láng). In Qing dynasty China, the Niohuru family of Manchu origin sinicized and changed their family name to Lang (郎), which sounded like "wolf" (狼, also Láng) in Mandarin Chinese, since "wolf" in the Manchu language was niohuru.^[1]

Surname

Australian

Jack Lang (1876–1975), politician
Jeff Lang (born 1969), songwriter, singer and slide guitarist
John Lang (1816–1864), was said to be the first Australian-born novelist
John Lang (born 1950), coach and former player of rugby league in Australia
John Dunmore Lang (1799–1878), publicist and politician
Martin Lang (rugby league), Australian rugby league player

Chinese

Lang Jingshan, photographer
Lang Lang (born 1982), pianist
Lang Ping (born 1960), former volleyball player and coach
Lang Zheng (born 1986), footballer
Lang Shining (1688–1766), Chinese name of Giuseppe Castiglione, Italian Jesuit Brother

European

Andrew Lang (1844–1912), Scottish collector of folk and fairy tales
Anton Lang (1875–1938), German potter and actor
Archibald Lang (fl. 1880), Scottish international football player
Arnold Lang (1855-1914), Swiss naturalist
Belinda Lang (born 1955), English actress
Cosmo Lang (1864–1945), Archbishop of Canterbury
Craig Sellar Lang (1891–1971), British-domiciled organist, music teacher, and composer
Czesław Lang (born 1955), Polish road racing cyclist and Tour de Pologne director
David Marshall Lang (1924–1991), British historian
Don Lang (musician) (1925–1992), English singer
Eva Lang (born 1947), German economist
Fritz Lang (1890–1976), Austrian film director
Gerhard Lang (1924-2016), German botanist
Hedi Lang (1931–2004), Swiss politician
Hermann Lang (1909–1987), German race car driver
Ian Lang (born 1940), Scottish politician
Ivana Lang (1912–1982), Croatian composer, pianist and piano teacher
Jack Lang (French politician) (born 1939), French politician
Josephine Lang (1815–1880), German composer
Karel Lang, Czech ice hockey player
Karl Georg Herman Lang (1901-1976), Swedish naturalist
Kirsty Lang (born 1962), British broadcaster and journalist
Klaus Lang (born 1971), Austrian composer
Maria Lang, the pen name for Swedish crime novel writer Dagmar Lange (1914–1991)
Peter Lang, Swiss publisher; see Peter Lang (publishing company)
Rein Lang (born 1957), Estonian politician
Rikard Lang (1913–1994), Croatian university professor, lawyer and economist
Robert Lang (actor) (1934–2004), English actor
Robert Lang (ice hockey) (born 1970), professional ice hockey player
Sebastian Lang (born 1979), German professional road cyclist
Serge Lang (1927–2005), mathematician and activist
Serge Lang (skiing) (1920–1999), French journalist who founded the alpine skiing World Cup
Slobodan Lang (1945–2016), Croatian physician and politician
Steven Lang (footballer) (born 1987), Swiss football midfielder
Thomas Lang (born 1969), musician and drummer
Thomas Lang (singer), English singer and songwriter
Werner Lang (1922–2013), German engineer

North American

Amanda Lang (born 1970), Canadian journalist
Andrew Lang, (born 1966), American basketball player
Annie Traquair Lang (1885–1918), American impressionist painter
Anton Lang (1913–1996), American natural scientist
Archie Lang, Canadian politician
Ben Lang (1870–1960), American politician
David Lang (1838–1917), Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War
David Lang (born 1957), American composer, Pulitzer Prize winner
David Lang (1967–2005), football running back in the National Football League
Eddie Lang (1902–1933), American jazz guitarist
Eric M. Lang, Canadian game designer
Eugene Lang (1919–2017), American businessman and philanthropist
Glen Lang, American businessman and politician
Harold Lang (1920–1985), American ballet dancer
Herbert H. Lang (1921–2006), American historian
John Lang (1839–1921), political figure and farmer in Ontario
John Lang (1794–?), United States Navy sailor
John H. Lang (1899–1970), United States Navy officer
Jonny Lang (born 1981), American blues guitarist
Kara Lang (born 1986), Canadian female soccer player
Katherine Kelly Lang (born 1961), American actress
k.d. lang (born 1961), Canadian singer-songwriter
Kris Lang (born 1979), American basketball player
Lex Lang (born 1965), American voice actor
Margie Lang (1924–2007), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
Martin Lang (born 1949), American Olympic fencer
Michelle Lang (1975–2009), Canadian journalist
Otto Lang (born 1932), Canadian politician
Pearl Lang (1921–2009), American dancer and choreographer
Perry Lang (born 1959), American director, writer, and actor
Robert J. Lang (born 1961), American origami artist and theorist
Stephen Lang (born 1952), American film and theater actor
Steve Lang (1949–2017), Canadian rock bassist
Will Lang Jr. (1914–1968), American journalist
W. Patrick Lang (born 1940), United States Army officer

Given name

Lang Hancock (1909–1992), Australian iron ore magnate
Dao Lang, Chinese musician
Shi Lang (1621–1696), Chinese admiral

Fictional characters

Adam Lang, a character in Robert Harris's novel The Ghost and its subsequent film version.
Cassandra Lang, Marvel Comics superheroine daughter of Scott Lang; member of the Young Avengers
Charlie Lang, character in the film It Could Happen to You (1994 film)
Clubber Lang, antagonist in the movie Rocky III
Lana Lang from Superman stories
Scott Lang, Marvel Comics superhero known as Ant-Man who was a member of the Avengers
Shi-Long Lang, a character from Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Steven Lang (comics), Marvel Comics supervillain
Penelope and Charles "Chaz" Lang, characters on TV show Atomic Betty

References

^ Edward J. M. Rhoads (2001). Manchus & Han: ethnic relations and political power in late Qing and early republican China, 1861-1928 (reprint, illustrated ed.). University of Washington Press. p. 56. ISBN 9780295804125. and when the ancient and politically prominent Manchu lineage of Niohuru adopted the Han-style surname Lang, he ridiculed them for having "forgotten their roots." (The Niohuru, whose name was derived from niohe, Manchu for wolf," had chosen Lang as their surname because it was a homophone for the Chinese word for "wolf.")

This page lists people with the surname Lang.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

[1] Edward J. M. Rhoads (2001). Manchus & Han: ethnic relations and political power in late Qing and early republican China, 1861-1928 (reprint, illustrated ed.). University of Washington Press. p. 56. ISBN 9780295804125. and when the ancient and politically prominent Manchu lineage of Niohuru adopted the Han-style surname Lang, he ridiculed them for having "forgotten their roots." (The Niohuru, whose name was derived from niohe, Manchu for wolf," had chosen Lang as their surname because it was a homophone for the Chinese word for "wolf.")

[1]