Liu Xie
Liu Yao was from Muping County (), Donglai Commandery (), which is in present-day Muping District, Yantai, Shandong. He was of noble descent. His ancestor, Liu Xie (), who held the title "Marquis of Muping" (), was a son of Liu Jianglü (). Liu Jianglü was a son of Liu Fei, the eldest son of the Han dynasty's founder, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao).