Origin
Si : 1: Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 司 meaning ‘take charge’ or ‘department’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of Si Chen (司臣) an official who lived in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) shortened form of several Chinese compound surnames including Si-Ma (司馬) Si-Kou (司寇) Si-Tu (司徒) Si-Cheng (司城) most of which were originally names of official posts in ancient China.2: Chinese: Mandarin or Cantonese form of the surname 斯 meaning ‘this’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the first element of the placename Si Guan (斯觀) where Xia Jie last king of the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC) hid. (ii) adopted in place of the surname Shi (史) by an official named Shi Hao in order to avoid persecution during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). (iii) traced back to minority ethnic groups in ancient southern China.3: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 史 施 師 and 時. See Shi (2–5).4: Vietnamese: variant of the Chinese surname 郗 see Xi 5. Compare Hy.
Bao : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 包 meaning ‘to wrap’ or ‘package’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the personal name Bao Xu (包胥) style name of a noble official in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) said to be borne by descendants of the Fu Xi family from a period prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (iii) adopted in place of another surname 鮑 pronounced the same by its bearers in Taishan (in present-day Shangdong province) who migrated and changed their surname to 包 during the reign of Wang Mang (45 BC–23 AD) in order to avoid persecution.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 鮑 meaning ‘abalone’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Bao (鮑) the name of a fief (located in Bingcheng in Shandong province) which was granted to Jingshu known as Bao Jingshu originally a prince of the state of Qi (杞) who went to the state of Qi (齊) and became a noble official there during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) adopted as a surname by the Si Li Fa (俟力伐) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 保 meaning ‘to protect’ or ‘to guarantee’: (i) from the post name Bao Zhang (保章) the title of an official in charge of astrology during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (ii) said to be borne by descendants of certain nobles from the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).4: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 暴 which means ‘(violently) sudden': from Bao (暴) the name of an ancient state (located in Henan province) annexed by the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).5: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 寶 meaning ‘treasure’ in Chinese: (i) of Han Chinese origin but unexplained. (ii) borne by members of other ethnic groups in northern China such as Mongolians and the Hui people.6: Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 包 (see 1 above).7: Vietnamese (Bảo): from the Chinese surname 鮑 (see 2 above).
Chang : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 常 which means ‘lasting forever’: (i) said to be borne by descendants of Chang Yi (常儀) and Chang Xian (常先) officials during the reign of the legendary Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (ii) from Chang (常) the name of a fief (located in present-day Tengxian in Shandong province) that was granted to the grandson of Kang Shu the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou (c. 1087–1043 BC) and founder of the state of Wey (located around present-day Hebei and Xinxiang in Henan province). (iii) from Chang (常) a fief (located in present-day Changzhou in Jiangsu province) that was granted to descendants of the kings of the state of Wu (located mainly in present-day Jiangsu and Anhui provinces) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (v) adopted in place of another Chinese surname 恒 (Heng in Mandarin pinyin meaning ‘lasting permanent’) which could be traced back to Duke Si of Heng an official in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). People with this surname changed it to Chang (常) during the reign of the emperor Zhao Heng (趙恒 known as Emperor Zhenzong of Song 968–1022) in the Northern Song dynasty because their surname 恒 happened to coincide with the personal name of the emperor which was taboo in ancient China.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 昌 which means ‘prosperity’: it is said to be from the name of Chang Yi (昌意) son of the legendary Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC).3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 暢 which means ‘fluent uninhibited’: the surname is borne by descendants of a noble family who lived in the state of Qi (located mainly in Shandong province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).4: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surnames 張 章 and 仉 see Zhang 1-3.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾 see Zeng.6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 臧 see Zang.7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 程 see Cheng 1.8: Chinese: Hakka form of the surname 鄭 see Zheng 1.9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 陳 possibly based on its Cantonese pronunciation see Chen 1.10: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 江 蔣 and 姜 see Jiang 1-3.11: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 莊 see Zhuang.12: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鐘 see Zhong 1.13: Korean: written 장 in Chinese characters 張 meaning ‘to extend’ 蔣 denoting a type of plant in ancient Chinese but now used only as a surname 章 meaning ‘chapter’ or ‘sentence’ and 莊 meaning ‘serious’. All of the 33 Korean Chang clans had their origins in China and all but three use the same Chinese character for their surname namely 張. This is one of the ten most common surnames in Korea. (i) The Chinese character 張 is borne by the descendants of Chang Chŏng-p’il (張 貞弼) the son of a Chinese military official who together with his father fled from political instability in China in 888 AD. He ultimately settled in An-dong County North Kyŏngsang Province. (ii) The Chinese character 蔣 is borne by descendants of Chang Sŏ (蔣 壻) a Chinese Song Dynasty general who immigrated to Korea in the 12th century AD. Chang Sŏ settled in the Asan area of Ch’ungch’ŏng South Province. (iii) The Chinese character 章 is borne by the descendants of Chang Chong-haeng (章 宗行) a late 12th-century immigrant from China. The family settled in and around Kŏch’ang County in South Kyŏngsang Province. (iv) The Chinese character 莊 is borne by the descendants of Chang Suk (莊 俶) who settled in the Kŭmch’ŏn district of modern Seoul in the early fifteenth century. Another Chang family clan seat was established in the Chŏnju area in the late nineteenth century by Chang Sŏk-hwang (莊 錫滉). One of the ancestors of this Chang family was the Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu. 莊 is a comparatively rare surname. Compare Jang 5.14: Southeast Asian (Hmong): variant of Cha 5; in Chinese characters it is written 張 (see 4 above).
Cisse : 1: West African (Cissé): from the name of the Cissé clan of the Soninke people the ruling clan of the former Ghanaian Empire derived from the word si ‘horse’ and interpreted as ‘rider’. The importance of the horse to the Soninkeis reflected in their traditional personal names including patronymics (see Sissoko and Sylla). Compare Ceesay Sesay and Sise 3.2: In some cases probably also French (Cissé): habitational name from a place called Cissé in Vienne.
Fu : Chinese:: 1: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 傅 meaning ‘master’ or ‘teacher’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by descendants of Fu Yue (傅說)(died c. 1246 BC) a prime minister during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC) who is said to have lived in a place called Fu Yan (傅岩) possibly located in Shanxi province. (ii) from the placename Fu (傅) the name of a fief (located in present-day Shandong province) which was granted to Da You during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC).2: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 付 meaning ‘commit’ or ‘pay’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of Shi Fu (史付) a person who lived in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) simplified form of the Chinese surname 傅; see 1 above.3: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 符 meaning ‘tally’ in ancient Chinese: from the post name Fu Xi Ling (符璽令) hosted by Gong Ya a grandson of the Duke Qing of Lu (ruler of the state of Lu died 249 BC) who later migrated to the state of Qin. This was a post held by the man in charge of the tally given by a ruler to a general to deploy troops or to an envoy as his credentials.4: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 扶 meaning ‘help support’ in Chinese: (i) said to be a shortened form of the compound Chinese surname Fu Deng (扶登) dating back to the reign of Xia Yu the first king of the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (ii) borne by descendants of Fu Jia (扶嘉) who was endowed with the surname Fu (扶) by the Emperor Gaozu of Han (256–195 BC) because of his support to the royal family of the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD). (iii) adopted as the surname by the Qi Fu (乞扶) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).5: Mandarin form of the surname 伏 meaning ‘dog days’ or ‘subdue’ in ancient Chinese: (i) said to be borne by descendants of Fu Xi (伏羲) a legendary figure prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (ii) said to be borne by descendants of Fu Bu Qi (伏不齊 also written 宓不齊) a student of Confucius (551–479 BC). (iii) adopted as a surname by the Si Fu Jin (俟伏斤) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).6: Mandarin form of the surname 福 meaning ‘good fortune’ or ‘blessing’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of Fu Zi Dan (福子丹) an official in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) a surname from the state of Bai Ji (located in the Korean peninsula). (iii) borne by descendants of Fu Shi (福時) an official who lived during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD).7: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 富 meaning ‘rich’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of Fu Chen (富辰) (died around 636 BC) an official who lived during the reign of King Xiang of Zhou (died 619 BC). (ii) shortened form of the Chinese compound surname Fu-Fu (富父) which is traced back to Fu-Fu Zhong Sheng (富父終甥) an official who lived in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).8: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 甫 a courtesy name for a man in ancient Chinese: (i) simplified form of Fu (郙) the name of an ancient state (located in Henan province). (ii) from Fu (甫) the name of a state also known as the state of Lü (located in Henan province) annexed by the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) shortened form of the Chinese compound surname Huang-Fu (皇甫) traced back to the personal name of a son of Duke Dai of Song (ruler of the state of Song reigned 799–766 BC).9: Mandarin form of the surname 宓 (also pronounced as Mi in Mandarin Chinese) see Mi 2.10: Hakka form of the surname 胡. Also Cantonese form of the surname 扈. See Hu 1 and 2.
Hou : Chinese:: 1: Mandarin form of the surname 侯 a title approximately equivalent to ‘marquis’: (i) borne by descendants of Jin Ai Hou (晉哀侯 Marquis Ai of Jin ruler of the state of Jin reigned 717–709 BC) and Jin Min Hou (晉湣侯 Marquis Min of Jin another ruler of the state of Jin died 679 BC) both of whom were killed by Duke Wu of Jin (also known as Duke Wu of Quwo 754–677 BC) who later became a new ruler of the state of Jin. Their descendants fled to other states and adopted the name of the peerage rank as their surname. (ii) from the placename Hou (侯) the name of a fief (located in present-day Shaanxi province) granted to descendants of Xia Yu the first king of the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (iii) from Hou (侯) the name of an ancient state (located in Henan province) during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (iv) borne by descendants of Hou Xuan Duo (侯宣多) and Hou Yu (侯羽) officials in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (v) adopted as a surname by families from minority ethnic groups in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD) including the families of Hu Gu Kou Yin (胡古口引) Hou Nu (侯奴) Ke Hou (渴侯) Gu Yin (古引) and Si Fu Hou (俟伏侯).2: Mandarin form of the surname 后 meaning ‘empress queen’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the title Hou Tu (后土) borne by Gou Long an official in charge of lands during the reign of the legendary Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (ii) simplified form of the placename Hou (郈 also written as 厚) the name of a fief (located in present-day Shandong province) granted to Gong son of the Duke Xiao of Lu (ruler of the state of Lu died 769 BC). (iii) borne by descendants of Hou Zang (后臧) younger brother of Ye Gong (Duke of Ye c. 550–470 BC) a noble in the state of Chu. (iv) borne by descendants of Yin an official historiographer in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) who was endowed with the surname Hou (后 meaning ‘wife of the king’) because Yin's daughter became the wife of King Xiang of Qi (ruler of the state of Qi died in 265 BC).3: Mandarin form of the surname 後 meaning ‘back’ in Chinese: said to be borne by descendants of Hou Zhao (後照) a grandson of the legendary king Tai Hao who lived even before the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC).4: Mandarin form of the surname 厚 meaning ‘thick’ in Chinese: from Hou (厚) the name of a fief (located in present-day Jiangsu province) in the state of Lu granted to Hou Ji (厚瘠) also known as Hou Cheng Shu (厚成叔) an official in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).5: variant Romanization of the surname 霍 see Huo 1.6: variant Romanization of the surname 緱 see Gou 3.
Insixiengmay : Laotian: ornamental name apparently composed of the Lao short form of the name of the Vedic deity Indra and the elements si ‘majesty’ also e.g. ‘prosperity’ xieng a title given to one who served as a monk and may ‘hibiscus’.
Kou : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 寇 meaning ‘invader’ in Chinese: (i) from the second element of the post name Si Kou (司寇) the title of an official in charge of penalties during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) and in the state of Wey during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) adopted as a surname by the Gu Kou Yin (古口引) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).2: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 苟 勾 and 緱 see Gou 1-3.3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 許 based on its Teochew or Hokkien pronunciations see Xu 2.4: Cambodian: probably of Chinese origin (compare above).
Lebeda : Czech: nickname from lebeda ‘orache’ (a plant of the genus Atriplex a fast-growing vegetable grown as a substitute for spinach). This nickname is associated with various idioms in Czech for example lebedit si ‘to feel nice and cozy’ or ‘to have a cushy job’ or dát si do lebedy ‘to tuck into the orache’ i.e. ‘to eat heartily’.
Lu : 1: Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 盧 meaning both ‘black’in ancient Chinese: (i) from the placename Lu (盧) the name of a fief (located in Changqing in Shandong province) granted to Xi a great-grandson of Jiang Tai Gong or Jiang Ziya (c. 11th century BC). (ii) shortened form of the compound Chinese surname Lu-Pu (盧蒲 also written as 蘆蒲) borne by descendants of the Duke Huan of Qi (ruler of the state of Qi died 643 BC). (iii) from the placename of Lu (廬) the name of an ancient state (unknown location) prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). When it was adopted as a surname the Chinese character 廬 was simplified to 盧. (iv) from the Mo Lu (莫蘆) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surnames to 蘆 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD) and later some descendants simplified the Chinese character 蘆 to 盧. (v) from the Tu Fu Lu (吐伏盧) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surnames to 盧 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 蘆 meaning ‘reed’ in Chinese: (i) shortened form of the compound Chinese surname Lu Pu (盧蒲 also written as 蘆蒲) which was borne by descendants of the Duke Huan of Qi (ruler of the state of Qi died 643 BC). (ii) from the Mo Lu (莫蘆) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surnames to 蘆 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 魯 meaning ‘slow clumsy’ in Chinese: from Lu (魯) the name of a state (located mainly in present-day Shandong province) originally granted to Bo Qin a prince in the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). After the state was annexed by the state of Chu in 256 BC Lu (魯) was adopted as a surname.4: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 路 meaning ‘roads’ in Chinese: (i) from Lu (路) the name of an ancient state (unknown location) during the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC) said to be originally granted to Xuan Yuan by the legendary Emperor Yao (c. 24th century BC). (ii) from Lu Zi (潞子) the name of a state (located in Changzhi in Shanxi province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). After it was annexed by the state of Jin the Chinese character 潞 was simplified to 路 and adopted as a surname. (iii) said to be borne by descendants of Qiu Yan who was a descendant of the legendary Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (iv) from the Mo Lu Zhen (沒路真) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surnames to 路 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (v) the surname can also be traced back to some families from the Huns (located in ancient northern China) and Shanyue ethnic group (located in ancient southeastern China).5: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 陸 meaning ‘six’ or ‘land’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the placename Lu Xiang (陸鄉) the name of a fief (located in Pingyuan in Shandong province) said to be originally granted to Lu Zhong a descendant of the legendary Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). During the Warring States period (475–221 BC) the fief was also granted to Tian Tong the youngest son of King Xuan of Qi (ruler of the state of Qi died 301 BC). (ii) from the first element of Lu Hun (陸渾) the name of an ancient state (located in Songxian in Henan province) established by a minority ethnic group in northwestern China during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). After the state of Lu Hun was annexed by the state of Jin Lu (陸) was adopted as a surname. (iii) from the Bu Lu Hu (步陸狐) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surname to 陸 during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iv) for some families the surname can be traced back to the Li ethnic group in Guizhou province as well as the Huns during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD).6: Chinese: variant Mandarin Romanization of the surname 呂 (supposed to be romanized as Lü but the umlaut is often missing in English) meaning ‘pitchpipe’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from Lü (呂) the name of a state (located in Nanyang in Henan province) granted to Lü Hou (呂侯 Marquis of Lü) by Xia Yu the first king of the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC) because of his contributions to controlling floods. After the state was annexed by the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) the name of the state was adopted as a surname. (ii) from the Chi Lü (叱呂) Si Lü Ling (俟呂陵) and some other families members of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who changed their original surnames to 呂 during the Southern and Northern dynasties (420–589 AD). (iii) from the placename Lü (呂) the name of a fief (located in present-day Shanxi province) which was granted to Lü Xiang (呂相) son of an official who lived in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).7: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 鹿 meaning ‘deer’ in Chinese: (i) from the second element of the placename Wulu (五鹿) (located in Shalu town Puyang in Henan province) a fief granted to an official from the state of Wey during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) adopted as a surname by the A Lu Huan (阿鹿桓) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).8: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 逯 meaning ‘walking freely’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Lu (逯) the name of a fief in the state of Qin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) said to be borne by the descendants of the royal families in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).9: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 禄 meaning ‘emolument’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the personal name Lu Fu (禄父) style name of Wu Geng son of Zhou (the last king of the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC)). (ii) from the second element of Si Lu (司禄) the name of an official post the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (iii) from Lu (禄) personal name of the crown prince of King Ling of Chu (ruler of the state of Chu died 529 BC). (iv) adopted as a surname by the Duo Lu (咄禄) family during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (v) borne by the descendants of Lu Dong Zan (禄東赞) (died 667 AD) chief of the Tibetan Empire.10: Chinese: variant Mandarin Romanization of the surname 閭 (supposed to be romanized as Lü but the umlaut is often missing in English): (i) shortened form of the compound Chinese surname Lü Qiu (閭丘) borne by the descendants of Lü-Qiu Ying (閭丘婴) an official in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the first element of Lü Shi (閭師) the name of an official post during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) in charge of taxes. (iii) from the second element of Zi Lü (子閭) style name of Qi son of King Ping of Chu (ruler of the state of Chu died 516 BC). (iv) adopted as a surname by the Yu Jiu Lü (鬱久閭) family during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).11: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 廖 see Liao.12: Vietnamese (Lữ): alternative variant for the Chinese surname 呂 (see 6 above); see also La.
Qiu : Chinese:: 1: Mandarin form of the surname 邱. This was adopted in place of the Chinese surname 丘 (see 2 below) after the Western Han dynasty (206 BC - 25 AD) particularly during the reign of the emperor Yong Zheng (1678–1735 AD) in the Qing dynasty (1616 – 1911 AD) who out of respect for Confucius (551–479 BC) ordered people with the surname 丘 to change to the surname 邱 because the original surname 丘 happened to be the personal name of Confucius.2: Mandarin form of the surname 丘 meaning ‘mound knoll’ in Chinese: (i) from the second element of the placename Ying Qiu (營丘) (located in Shandong province) the capital of the state of Qi when the state was established by Jiang Tai Gong or Jiang Ziya (c. 11th century BC). (ii) traced back to the Qiu (丘) family in the Wu Huan ethnic group which originated in Inner Mongolia. (iii) adopted as a surname by the Qiu Dun (丘敦) and the Qiu Lin (丘林) families from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iv) from the second element of the placename Wan Qiu (宛丘) a city in the state of Chen during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (v) said to be traced back to Zuo Qiu Ming (左丘明) a famous historian in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (vi) said to be traced back to Qiu Ruo (丘弱) an official in the state of Zhu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).3: Mandarin form of the surname 仇 meaning ‘companion’ or ‘spouse’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from the first element of the personal name Qiu Mu (仇牧) personal name of an official in the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) adopted in place of the Chinese surname Hou (侯) by Qiu Luo Qi (仇洛奇) during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).4: Mandarin form of the surname 裘 meaning 'clothes made of fur’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Qiu (裘) the name of a fief (thought to be located in Henan or Hebei province) granted to an official in the state of Wey during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from Qiu (裘) the title of an official in charge of making furs during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (iii) in some cases 裘 was adopted in place of the Chinese surname 仇 (see 3 above) in order to escape from persecution.5: Mandarin form of the surname 秋 meaning ‘autumn’ in Chinese: (i) from Si Qiu (司秋) the name of a god in charge of autumn who according to legend was a descendant of the legendary king Shao Hao (c. 26th century BC). (ii) from Qiu Hu (秋胡) a person originating in the state of Lu who simplified the Chinese character 湫 part of his grandfather's personal name to Qiu (秋) and adopted it as a surname. (iii) possibly from Qiu (秋) or Qiu Guan (秋官) also called Si Kou the name of an official post during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) in charge of criminal investigation and punishment.
Sy : 1: Filipino: of Chinese origin see 2 and 3 below.2: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 施 (see Shi 3) and 薛 (see Xue).3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 李 see Li 1.4: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 徐 based on its pronunciation in Hakka dialect see Xu 1.5: West African (Senegal Mauritania Mali and Guinea): from the name of the Sy clan of the Tukulor people apparently based on the Soninke word si ‘horse’. This surname is also found among the Soninkes.6: French (mainly Pas-de-Calais): variant of Flemish Sys itself a variant of Syx and Six. This surname is also found in Germany (see also 7 below). Compare See and Sie.7: German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name containing the element sigi ‘victory’. The name is at least in part of cognate French and ultimately Flemish origin (see 6 above).
Wan : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 萬 which means ‘ten thousand’ literally or ‘very great number’ figuratively: (i) from the personal name of Bi Wan (畢萬) an official in the state of Jin (located in present-day Shanxi province). He was said to be a descendant of Bi Gong Gao (known as Duke of Bi) the 15th son of the virtuous King Wen of Zhou (reined 1152–1056 BC). Bi Wan was later granted the fiefdom of Wei (魏) which in 403 BC became the state of Wei (located in present-day Shanxi Shaanxi Henan and Hebei provinces). Some of his descendants adopted Wei (魏) as their surname while others inherited 萬 (Wan) his personal name as their surname. (ii) from the personal name Wan (萬) style name of Rui Bo (芮伯 the Earl of Rui) an official of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) who was granted the fief Rui (located in Ruicheng in Shaanxi province). Some of his descendants inherited Rui (芮) the name of the fief as their surname while others inherited 萬 (Wan) his style name as their surname. (iii) from the placename Wan (萬) the name of a fief (located in Juxian in Shandong province) granted during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) to an official in the ancient state of Chu. (iv) from the first element of the name of the Wan Si (萬俟) family who lived in the downstream areas of the Yellow River during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 AD). (v) from the second element of the name of the Tu Wan (吐萬) family who are members of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 完 meaning ‘complete’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by the descendants of Huan Zhui a grandson of the Duke Huan of Song (ruler of the state of Song died 651 BC). (ii) from Wan (完) the name of Qu Wan (屈完) an official in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC). (iii) shortened form of the compound surname Wan-Yan (完顔) a surname from minority ethnic groups such as Juchen ethnic group in ancient northern China.3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 宛 meaning ‘tortuous’ in Chinese: (i) said to be traced back to Wan Hua (宛華) and Wan Qu (宛朐) two legendary figures prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (ii) from the placename Wan (宛) the name of a fief (located in present-day Henan province) in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). Also this surname had been recorded in the state of Qi Jin and Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 尹 see Yin 2.5: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 溫 see Wen 1.6: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 雲 and 惲 see Yun 2 and 5.7: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 宦 see Huan 1.8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 袁 see Yuan 1.9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 阮 see Ruan 3.10: Vietnamese: possibly a variant of Van.11: Scottish: variant of Wann.
Yue : Chinese:: 1: Mandarin form of the surname 岳 (or 嶽) meaning ‘high mountain’ in Chinese: traced back to Si Yue (四岳 or 四嶽) said to be the title of an official post in charge of sacrificial rituals on the site of famous mountains during the reign of the legendary Emperor Yao (c. 24th century BC) and Emperor Shun (c. 23rd century BC).2: Mandarin form of the surname 越 meaning ‘leap over’ in Chinese: (i) from Yue (越) the name of a state (mainly located in present-day E Zhejiang province) annexed by the state of Chu during the Warring States Period (475–221 BC). (ii) adopted as the surname by the Yue Le (越勒) Yue Jiang (越疆) Yue Zhi (越質) and other families from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD).3: Mandarin form of the surname 樂 see Le 1.4: alternative Cantonese form of the surnames 余 于 (or 於) 俞 虞 庾 喻 禹 宇 see Yu 1-8.5: alternative Cantonese form of the surnames 茹 and 汝 see Ru 1 and 2.6: variant Romanization of the surnames 邱 and 丘 see Qiu 1 and 2.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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