Shan (surname)
Encyclopedia
Shan is another rare Chinese
surname of the same pronunciation but has a different character. The origin of this surname is not clear. One explanation is that it came from Shan County
(单县, 單縣) in Shandong
province. Another possible origin involves Zhou Chengwang's youngest son's acquisition of the name when he was given what would become the Shan Kingdom (单国, 單國) when the enfeoffment system was enacted during the Zhou Dynasty. The Shan Kingdom existed for a few hundred years before it was annexed by a stronger neighboring Kingdom. It was located in present day Jiyuan, Henan Province. Although the surname comes from the place name, the Shan family was a branch of the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty. Its ancient origin determines its rareness and not many people have the Shan surname. According to one unverifiable estimate, about 150,000 people are of the surname.
Most of people of the Shan surname live in Shandong, Henan
and Hebei
. However, some people bearing the Shan surname can be found in Taiwan
and overseas Chinese communities throughout the world. A famous bishop in Taiwan Paul Kuo-his Shan is of the Shan family. The legendary hero, Shan Xiongxin (单雄信, 單雄信), is often used to refer to the surname. However, there have been many other famous personages of the Shan family throughout Chinese history. The twenty-four histories, provincial annals and county registers contain many interesting stories of people of the Shan surname.
Some ethnic peoples adopted Shan as their surname since the pronunciation of their ethnic names are close to Shan, for example, some Manchu and Hui choose Shan as their family name (their population is even smaller). Majority of the Shan are of Han nationality and they can trace their origin to the Zhou period.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
surname of the same pronunciation but has a different character. The origin of this surname is not clear. One explanation is that it came from Shan County
Shan County, Shandong
Shan County is a county of Heze in the Chinese province of Shandong.*...
(单县, 單縣) in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
province. Another possible origin involves Zhou Chengwang's youngest son's acquisition of the name when he was given what would become the Shan Kingdom (单国, 單國) when the enfeoffment system was enacted during the Zhou Dynasty. The Shan Kingdom existed for a few hundred years before it was annexed by a stronger neighboring Kingdom. It was located in present day Jiyuan, Henan Province. Although the surname comes from the place name, the Shan family was a branch of the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty. Its ancient origin determines its rareness and not many people have the Shan surname. According to one unverifiable estimate, about 150,000 people are of the surname.
Most of people of the Shan surname live in Shandong, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
and Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
. However, some people bearing the Shan surname can be found in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and overseas Chinese communities throughout the world. A famous bishop in Taiwan Paul Kuo-his Shan is of the Shan family. The legendary hero, Shan Xiongxin (单雄信, 單雄信), is often used to refer to the surname. However, there have been many other famous personages of the Shan family throughout Chinese history. The twenty-four histories, provincial annals and county registers contain many interesting stories of people of the Shan surname.
Some ethnic peoples adopted Shan as their surname since the pronunciation of their ethnic names are close to Shan, for example, some Manchu and Hui choose Shan as their family name (their population is even smaller). Majority of the Shan are of Han nationality and they can trace their origin to the Zhou period.