Ben / Ben
Ben (běn) is a relatively rare surname in current use among both Han and Tibetan people. It is found in Pu'an, Guizhou; Tianjun, Qinghai; Zhouqu, Gansu; Yuncheng and Xinzhou, Shanxi; Yima, Henan; and other places.
One Ben lineage originated from the Tatar Mu clan. Fleeing danger at the end of the Yuan dynasty, the family moved into the Central Plains and added a horizontal stroke beneath 木 (Mu) to form 本 (Ben), signifying remembrance of its roots. It first settled south of Weichuan and later expanded in Changge, Henan, where it formed Benzhuang.
The surname Ben is included in Zheng Tongzhi's Shizu Lüe and first appears in Xing Yuan, indicating that it existed no later than the Northern and Southern Dynasties; its commandery origin is given as Hexi.
The surname's commandery affiliation includes Hexi. Its hall names include Shanyang Hall, also called Qingyang Hall; Tianshui Hall, also called Shanggui Hall; Baxi Hall; Yuantian Hall; and Dacang Hall.
Ben Gao was a successful provincial examination candidate during the Chenghua reign of the Ming dynasty. Ben Jinzhong, from Xining in Gansu during the Qing dynasty, rose to the office of Yunnan provincial commander during the Qianlong reign.
The Ben clan of Mianyang, Sichuan, has a tradition that descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the surname while fleeing persecution. Its old genealogy records the Qing-era generational sequence as Xing, Zheng, Li, Zhi, You, De, Da, Cheng, Yuan, Ji, Yong, Qing, Ding, Qi, Wen, and Ming, repeated cyclically.
Start with ancestral counties, villages, personal names and dates. Record genealogy titles, volumes, editions and catalog identifiers. A shared surname does not prove a shared lineage; compare branch records.
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