Baili’s surname is Baili, but his son is named Meng Mingshi. Why is his child’s name so strange? In fact, Meng Ming is his nickname and Shi is his name. According to common sense, he should be called Baili Shi, but we found that most history books call him Meng Mingshi. In fact, the Spring and Autumn Period was different from the subsequent dynasties. It was not a unified country at that time, so there were no very strict regulations on naming, and people at that time did not need to take their father's surname. Many people's names are based on the place where their father lives, or his official position, or fiefdom, the ranking of relatives, and the occupation they are engaged in. There is no regularity.
For example, we are familiar with Shang Yang and Jing Ke. These names sound very difficult to pronounce, even a little weird. In fact, each dynasty has its own unique culture. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people usually ranked children by brothers, middle, and uncles. This is a bit like what we call Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu now. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are very far away from us now, and many cultures have disappeared in the long river of history, or have completely different meanings from today. Although some of the names sound very funny, if you put the situation at the time, they are very reasonable.
By the Warring States Period, the patriarchal system was close to collapse. The surnames and surnames, which were originally very different, have now become the same meaning. Various books also use surnames and surnames interchangeably, making it completely invisible. What's the difference? Therefore, the reason why Baili Xi's son was named Meng Mingshi may be very complicated. Some people have also speculated that the relationship between father and son may be very poor, so the son did not use his father's surname at all.