Subscribe To This Site
Chinese Last Name Origins It might have all started five to six thousand years ago. Chinese last name origins have the roots in the early matriarchal community. Oh but first, a correction. Technically, there are no last names in Chinese names. The last name (as understood in a Westerner's name) is actually surname or family name. And they are written first followed by given names. Surname in Chinese character is 姓 xìng. It is a combination of 女 nǚ (woman) and 生 shēng (birth). This implies that the ancient Chinese society was primarily matriarchal. The children took after the mother's surname. And to go a little back further, surname began from clan name. People lived in clans and they had their own symbols. These symbols became their clan names and eventually surnames. Example, 龙 lóng (dragon) and 凤 fèng (phoenix). According to historians, the Chinese were the first to adopt surnames. European countries began using surnames around the Middle Ages. In Japan, the ordinary citizens were only allowed to have surnames in 1870! Other Asian countries started using surnames around the 10th century. Back to the story on the clans. The early society found that children born within the society were prone to birth defects and genetic abnormalities. Thus they set out to seek mates from other clans. And to differentiate between these clans and blood ties, they used surnames. People sharing the same surname were not allowed to marry each other. That's roughly how we have the Chinese last name origins. Oh, surname to be exact. How surnames were created. 1. From A Clan Symbol As mentioned, the early society lived in clans. And each clan took on a symbol to identify where they came from. The symbols later became their surnames. 2. The Name Of States There were many states during the early Chinese history. And people took on the states' names as their surnames. Examples, 齐 Qí, 鲁 Lǔ, 宋 Sòng and 卫 Wèi. 3. The Name Of Fief For example, during the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was a man by the name of Zaofu. He was rewarded with a fiefdom by Duke Mu of Zhou in Zhao city. Zaofu's descendants adopted the surname of Zhao. 4. Title Of Official Post Compound surname such as 司马 Sīmǎ is actually from an old official post in ancient times - Minister of War. While 司徒 Sītú was Minister of Land and People. And 司空 Sīkōng was Minister of Public Works. 5. Seniority As Surname In ancient Chinese families, 伯 Bó and 孟 Mèng indicated the eldest son or child. Second was 仲Zhòng. Third was 叔 Shū. Fourth or youngest was 季 Jì. These characters were all later used as surnames. 6. Emperor's Decree At times, emperors bestowed loyal servants with new surnames as gratitude towards the service rendered to the countries or states. Example, the famous Admiral in the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He, was actually Ma He. Emperor Yongle rewarded him for winning and fighting well in the Battle of Zheng Cun Ba. The emperors also at times punished people by renaming their surnames. What a cruel Chinese last name origins for these people. 7. Foreign Surname The example that I can give is my own family name. My ancestor, 瞻思丁 Zhānsīdīng, traveled from Northern Afghanistan to China to propagate the Islam religion. His son 纳速喇丁 Nàsùlǎdīng later had many descendants. And the descendants were split into 4. Each taking one character as the surname. My surname took on the last character 丁 Dīng. Another example is the prince of Anxi 安息 country (now north-eastern Iran) who came to China. He was also propagating religion. He settled in China and the later generations used 安 ān as the surname. Most of them lived around the northwestern regions of China. There are many more ways that the surnames are created. The above are but the more popular ways of Chinese last name origins. Learn more: Good names are like good prayers. The Chinese have known about this a long time ago. Want to know why? Tips for choosing auspicious Chinese names and characters. They certainly make a wonderful name for your baby. See these 6 tips to avoid choosing bad Chinese names. Read this simple guide now to choose better names. Chinese Baby Names Guide How to find the best Chinese baby names? What are the important characters in a baby boy or baby girl's name? This page talks about Chinese last name origins, but... There are Chinese last names and family names. Which is which? Understand how the Chinese use it. This is a list of the 100 most common Chinese family names. Are yours listed here? What is generation name? And learn how it is derived from Chinese poetry? Chinese given names are the equivalent of Western first names. How do parents select these names? Searching for beautiful Chinese girl names? Find out how you can get a unique and nice name. Finding great Chinese boy names? Or searching for Chinese male names for yourself? Learn how to narrow down your choice from thousands of names. Find the perfect one. A list of Chinese flowers names. Each flower for the 366 days of the year. This is a long list of Chinese male names from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Find a suitable one for your baby. Everyone's name has a story. This page shares those names history. Read and get some inspiration to name your baby. Or share your own story about your name or your Chinese last name origins. |
