Liao (Chinese: 廖) is a Chinese surname, most commonly found in Taiwan and Southern China. Statistics show it is among the 100 most common surnames in mainland China.
In Cantonese Romanization, one of the most common schemes for transliterating Cantonese, it is read as Liu. In Mandarin, the most common transliteration is "Liao." Other Romanized forms of the name include Leo, Leow, Liau, Liaw, Liauw, Leeau, Lio, Liow, Leaw, Leou, Lau, Loh, Liu, Lieu, Liew and Lew. 丨 People with the surname Liao include: