The surname Liang originated from the surname Ying. Feizi, a descendant of Boyi, had merit in raising horses for King Xiao of Zhou and was granted a title in the Qin Valley, known as Qin Ying. Feizi's great-grandson Qin Xiu conquered Xirong for King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty, but unfortunately he was killed by Xirong. Qin Zhong's five sons were determined to avenge their father, so King Xuan of Zhou gave them seven thousand soldiers and horses to attack Xirong. The five sons shared the same hatred and united, finally defeated Xirong and regained the invaded territory.

King Zhou Xuan named his eldest son Qin Zhuanggong the official of Xicui, and his second son Kang in Liangshan, Xiayang (now northeast of Chengcheng County, Shaanxi), as Liang Kangbo. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Liang Kangbo's descendant Liang Bo liked to build gorgeous palaces and often carried out large-scale construction projects. The people could not bear the heavy labor and taxes, so they fled abroad one after another. In the name of saving the people of Liang State, Duke Mu of Qin attacked and destroyed Liang State in 641 BC and renamed Liang land Shaoliang. After the fall of the country, most of the descendants of the Liang Kingdom fled to the Jin Kingdom and took their surname from the original country, namely the Liang family. According to "Wei Shu. Guanshi Zhi", after Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, present-day Henan, he changed the Xianbei clan's Balie (formerly known as Balielan) clan to the Liang clan. This is also one of the origins of the surname Liang.

In Chinese history, one person named Liang proclaimed himself emperor. In the Sui Dynasty, Liang Shidu, a native of Shuofang, Xiazhou (now Baichengzi, Jingbian, Shaanxi Province), was originally appointed as general Ying Yanglang. In 617, he launched an army to rebel against the Sui Dynasty and claimed to be emperor. His country was named Liang and his reign was named Yonglong. This lasted for 11 years.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were the hermit Liang Hong, the general Liang Ji, and the calligrapher Liang Hu; in the Tang Dynasty, there was the painter and astronomer Liang Lingzhan; in the Song Dynasty, there were the Taiwei Liang Shicheng and the painter Liang Kai; in the Ming Dynasty, there was the dramatist Liang Chenyu; in the Ming Dynasty, there was literature Liang Peilan, Liang Peilan, Dongge University Scholar, Liang Shizheng, calligrapher and military minister Liang Guozhi. In modern times, there were bourgeois reformists, scholar Liang Qichao, forest scientist Liang Xi, etc.

In order of number of people, the surname Liang is the 21st most common surname in China today.