How is the Chinese surname derived? According to Mr. Kiang Kang Hu, author of the book On Chinese Studies, there were 18 sources from which surnames were derived:

• the name of a dynasty (Tang)
• feudal territory or division (Chiang, Huang)
• political district (Hong)
• town (Yin, Su)
• rural villages (Lu, Yen)
• cross-roads and stations (Mi)
• suburbs of direction (Tung-shiang, Xi-men)
• historical personage (Chin, Fu)
• use of a man's social name for a family name (Fang, Kung)
• a custom of adopting the appellation applied to a relative (Meng, Mi)
• clans or tribes (So, Chang)
• official posts (Shih, Shuai)
• titles of nobility (Wang, Hou)
• occupations of trades (Wu, Tao)
• objects (Chu, Pu)
• posthumous titles of rulers (Wen)
• adding a diminutive to the parent name (Wang-tsu, Gong-sun)
• name of contempt applied to an evil-doer by a ruler (Fu, Mang)

To find out more about the Chinese surnames, we suggest you browse the Book Of Hundred Surnames at ChineseRoots.com. The free, online database contains more than 500 surnames and includes each surname's ranking, origin, evolution and famous personalities.

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