Asian languages and genealogy? Help! (best, travel, names, time)

[MaiaRi88]

Hey all! This isn't about traveling, but I was wondering if someone out here could help me out with this, as I am kind of at a loss. I've been researching my husband's genealogy, and he is Chinese on his mother's side (supposedly with other nationalities mixed in). One of his great-grandmother's surname is Juerng. I have been trying forever to find a translation for it, and possibly some info on origins, but am having no luck whatsoever. And help or hints would be great! Thanks!

[GoldenTiger]

It is very difficult to confirm by just a romanized surname, but my best GUESS is that her Chinese surname is Jiang (traditional Chinese: 蔣, simplified Chinese: 蒋) and most likely is Cantonese (Guangdong province / Hong Kong). The most common Cantonese romanization of the surname is Cheung. Based on the spelling, she probably came from a British colony (British Hong Kong or British Malaya, present-day Malaysia and Singapore).

[GoldenTiger]

Another possibility which is a more common surname is Zhang (traditional: 張, simplified: 张).

[leetai]

Have you located immigration case files from the National Archives on your husband's ancestors? Or have you located a jiapu/zupu? These books sometimes have wives' surnames listed. I have been doing Chinese American genealogical research for a long time and can advise depending on where you are in the process. Also, the spelling Juerng is very Cantonese. If you have a grave marker to refer to, it will likely be there too.