There are four hundred and forty-four single surnames and sixty compound surnames.
Single surnames include: Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, etc. A single surname refers to a surname that uses only one character.
Compound surnames include: Shangguan, Ouyang, Duanmu, Dongfang, Baili, Gongsun, Huangpu, Puyang, Nalan, etc. Compound surnames refer to surnames composed of more than one Chinese character. Some are derived from the surnames of ethnic minorities, such as Tuoba, Yuchi, Wanqi, etc. There are also Guliang surnames derived from the names of items, and even self-created surnames such as Helian.
The most famous compound surnames in China
1. Sima
Currently, the population of Sima ranks 549th, with a population of 28,000. In ancient Chinese history, there are two main origins: one is from the father of Cheng Boxiu, a minister who served as "Sima" in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and his surname was based on his official title. The second is derived from the surnames Chen and Tian, ??which came from Sima Rangju in the Spring and Autumn Period. In 266 AD, Sima Yan established the Western Jin Dynasty. In 317 AD, Sima Rui established the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Sima became the national surname of Jin. Famous figures include Sima Cuo, the famous general of the Qin State during the Warring States Period, the famous historian Sima Qian and his father Sima Tan in the Western Han Dynasty, the famous writer Sima Xiangru in the Western Han Dynasty, the famous scholar Sima Hui (Mr. Shui Jing) in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the politician and historian Sima Guang in the Northern Song Dynasty. .
2. Shangguan
Currently, the population with the surname Shangguan is about 75,000. The origin of the compound surname Shangguan can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, King Huai of Chu named his youngest son Lan the official of Shangguan Yi, and Lan's descendants took the name of the town as their surname and called them the Shangguan family. By the Tang Dynasty, the surname Shangguan had appeared in the Henan area of ??the Central Plains. Shangguan Yi, a minister in the Tang Taizong period, came from the Henan area. Celebrities with the Shangguan surname also included Shangguan Yi's granddaughter, the famous talented girl Shangguan Wan'er. In the Song Dynasty, there was the Ministry of Rites Shangguan Ding and others.
3. Ouyang
Ouyang is the most common compound surname in China. According to statistics in 2014, the population with the surname Ouyang is approximately 3.24 million. The origin of the Ouyang surname can be traced back to the Xia Dynasty. The ancestors of Yue King Goujian came from the Si surname during the Xia Dynasty. When the Yue king had no boundaries, he was destroyed by Chu and was granted the title of Ouyang Tinghou in Yangzhi of Ouyu Mountain in Wucheng. His descendants were therefore surnamed "Ou" or "Ouyang". The calligrapher Ouyang Xun of the Tang Dynasty, the politician and writer Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty are the representative celebrities with this surname, as well as the current program host Ouyang Xiadan in mainland China.
4. Xiahou
The population of Xiahou ranks 560th, with a population of 11,000. Distributed in Qufu and Surabaya, Shandong. It comes from the surname Si (the surname of the Xia Dynasty), and is based on the title of the surname. King Wu of Zhou granted the title of Duke Donglou to Qi, a descendant of Xia Yu, who established the Qi Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period. In 445 BC, the state of Chu destroyed Qi, and Duke Jian of Qi's younger brother Tuo fled to the state of Lu. Duke Dao of Lu called him Xiahou because he was a descendant of Xia Yu, and his ancestors in the early Zhou Dynasty were granted the title of marquis. Taking Xiahou as his surname, he was called the Xiahou family. Famous people with the surname Xiahou include Xiahou Ying in the early Western Han Dynasty, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Xuan in the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period.
5. Zhuge
Most of the surnames Zhuge are derived from the surname Ge. It is said that after the demise of the feudal kingdom of Ge Bo, the descendant of Boyi, a branch of the Ge family moved to Zhucheng in Shandong. A few years later, a branch of the Ge family from Zhucheng moved to Yangdu County. However, the original family surnamed Ge in Yangdu, Zhucheng In order to distinguish the Ge family from the local Ge family, the Ge family changed their surname to Zhuge, that is, the Ge family who moved from Zhucheng. Another peasant uprising army was led by Chen Sheng in the late Qin Dynasty. General Ge Ying made many military exploits, but Chen Sheng believed the slander and committed infanticide. After the rise of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty recalled Ge Ying's meritorious service in resisting the Qin Dynasty, and named Ge Ying's grandson the prince of various counties (now Zhucheng, Shandong), and his descendants were called the Zhuge family. Another one is derived from the surname Jiang, which comes from the Xiong family in Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. After the Xiong family, he became the Zhange family. Because of the language corruption of the Qi people, "Zhange" was pronounced as "Zhuge".
6. Dongfang
"Dongfang" is an ancient surname. As early as ancient times, the ancient emperor Fuxi founded Bagua, and his descendant Sun Zhong was in charge of the Order of Qingyang in the East.
According to ancient books, it is said that when he was born, "out of earthquake, his position was in the east", that is, according to the Bagua chart, he was in the earthquake position, and the earthquake position was expressed as "Dongfang", so he took "Dongfang" as his surname. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the famous writer Dongfang Shuo, whose real surname was Zhang, was the son of Shaohao, a descendant of Taihao Fuxi. After Zhang Hui, his mother died of illness not three days after he was born, and his father had also passed away for many days. According to the fact that it was just dawn in the east when he was born, he was named "Dongfang Shuo". Because when he grew up, his reputation became famous, and Dongfang was consolidated as a surname. The famous Oriental people in history include Dongfang Qiu, a poet and historian of the Tang Dynasty.
7. Huangfu
The first surname is derived from the surname Zi, which comes from the descendants of the Duke of Song Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn Period. It is a surname based on the name of the ancestor. In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, Gongzi Chongshi, the son of Duke Dai of the Song Dynasty, was named Huangfu. Later, Nanyongji, the grandson of Gongzi Chongshi, took his grandfather's name as his surname and was called Huangfu. In the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, the direct descendants were called Huangfu Luan, and the character "father" was changed to the character "fu" (the two characters had the same pronunciation in ancient times) and they were called the Huangfu family. According to legend, it has been passed down to this day. One originates from the surname Ji, which comes from the descendants of Huangfu, the Taishi of the Western Zhou Dynasty. It is a surname based on the official title. Famous figures include Huang Fumi, a medical scientist during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
8. Chunyu
Comes from the surname Jiang. He is a descendant of Emperor Yan and takes the name of his country. After King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he enfeoffed Chun Yugong, surnamed Jiang of the original Xia Dynasty, in the prefecture (now Anqiu County, Shandong Province) and established a state. Because he was a duke, he was known as the Duke of the state. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was Zhou Gongshi, but the country was subjugated to Qi. The Dukes and clans of Zhou settled in Chunyu City (now northeast of Anqiu City, formerly the capital of Zhou). Later, the country was restored, named Chunyu, and he was still a duke, becoming a small country in the Spring and Autumn Period. one. After the fall of the country, their clansmen named themselves Chunyu after the original country. Famous figures include Chunyu Kun, a native of Qi during the Warring States Period, who was eloquent and humorous; Chunyu Yue, who opposed Qin Shihuang's "burning books and humiliating Confucians".
9. Gongsun
During the Spring and Autumn Period, most princes from various countries were called "Gong" regardless of their title. According to the system of the Zhou Dynasty, the monarch is generally succeeded by the eldest son. Before he takes the throne, he is called the prince. The other sons are called the princes. The sons of the princes are called Gongsun. Many of their descendants take the surname Gongsun. Therefore, Gongsun is not the descendant of one clan and one surname. Another source comes from the surname Ji. The descendants of the Yellow Emperor Ji Xuanyuan include the Gongsun family. Famous figures include Gongsun Yang, a politician and reformer during the Warring States Period, Gongsun Long, a representative figure of famous families, and Gongsun Zan, one of the heroes in the late Han Dynasty.
10. Linghu
Derived from the surname Ji, the surname ranks 541st in population, with a population of 42,000. Linghu was originally a place name in the Spring and Autumn Period. According to "Shui Jing·Long Shui Zhu", Linghu refers to the land of Yi (today's west of Linyi County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province). Wei Ke, the general of Jin State (after King Wen of Zhou Dynasty) After winning the battle, Jin Jinggong rewarded him with the Linghu area as a fiefdom. Wei Ke's son Wei Jie took the fiefdom as his surname and called it Linghujie. It has a history of more than 2,300 years and looks out of Taiyuan County. Famous figures in ancient times include Linghu Chu, the minister and poet of the Tang Dynasty, Linghu Defen, the scholar of the Tang Dynasty, and Linghu Gui, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty.
11. Zhongli
The origin of the surname Zhongli can be directly traced back to the Song Dynasty founded by Song Weizi in the Spring and Autumn Period. It can be counted as a descendant of Shang Tang's surname. Because their ancestors once lived in a place called Zhongli (today's east of Linhuaiguan Town, Fengyang County, Anhui Province), their descendants took the city as their surname and began to use "Zhongli" or "Zhong" as their surname. Famous figures include Zhongli Chun, the queen of King Xuan of Qi, who was a famous ugly girl, but she was made queen by Zhijian; Zhongli Mei, one of the generals under Xiang Yu.
12. Yuwen
Originated from the Xiongnu. The tribe is the descendant of the Xiongnu Nan Chanyu from Liaodong. They formed a tribal group from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the early Three Kingdoms. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was the Yuwen tribe among the Xianbei people in the north. Famous figures include the general Yuwentai of the Western Wei Dynasty, his nephew Yuwenhu, the powerful minister of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the emperors Yuwenjue, Yuwenyu and Yuwenyong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the general Yuwenshu of the Sui Dynasty, Yu Wenhuaji, the leader of the rebels in the late Sui Dynasty, and his son Yuwen Chengdu.
13. Changsun
There are two theories about the origin of the surname Changsun: one is that the surname Changsun comes from Sha Moxiong, the eldest son of Tuoba Gui, the royal family of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Tuoba Gui established the Northern Wei Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor. , Shamoxiong gave his son Song the surname of eldest grandson.
The Sun clan, the head of this branch, had integrated into the Han nationality during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and was called the Changsun clan of Jiyang and Henan. Later, many provincial names were changed to the single surname Sun. The second is that there was Changsun Shun long before the Northern Wei Dynasty, and most people respected Changsun Shun as the ancestor who got the surname. Famous figures include Changsun Wuji, a famous official in the early Tang Dynasty, and his sister Changsun Shi, the empress of Tang Taizong.