Bi Surname

Surname Overview

Bi (閉) is currently a relatively rare surname. It is found among the Han, Zhuang, and Yi peoples, and is recorded in the Clan Records sections of the Xu Tongzhi and Qing Tongzhi.

Reference: 闭姓_闭姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

The Qufu Name Change

The Bi genealogy records a branch that moved from Baima Street in Qufu, Shandong, to Guangxi during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. After an ancestor faced jealousy, the family adopted Bi, a synonym of Guan, as its surname. The fish-tribe theory remains open to discussion, and the origin of the Yi Bi lineage still requires further study.

Reference: 闭姓_闭姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Descendants of Bi Gong

One Bi lineage originated from the fief of Bi Gong Gao, the fifteenth son of King Wen of Zhou, and took its surname from the name of the state. Its former territory was northwest of present-day Xi'an and Xianyang in Shaanxi. Descendants used the surnames Bi and Bi, and many Bi clans honor Bi Gong as their founding ancestor.

Reference: 闭姓_闭姓的来源和历史_百家姓

A Xianbei Name Change

During the Northern Wei period, the Xianbei Chulian clan adopted the surname Bi during Emperor Xiaowen's sinicization reforms and has been transmitted from its long-standing residence in Dongping to the present.

Reference: 闭姓_闭姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies and Halls

The Bi surname has Dongping and Henan as commanderies of origin, with Dongping Hall and Henan Hall as its ancestral hall names, both established by commandery affiliation.

Reference: 闭姓_闭姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Notable People

Historical Figures

Bi Futing was a native of Binzhou and a jinshi in the Song dynasty. Bi Mang was a Zhuang revolutionary martyr, whose original name was He Mang and whose other name was He Zireng; he used Bi Mang as an alias because his mother was surnamed Bi.

Reference: 闭姓_闭姓的来源和历史_百家姓