Surname Overview
Chai is a traditional Chinese surname, ranked 325th in the Song edition of the Hundred Family Surnames.
Chai Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 800,687Chai / Chai
Origins
Main Origins
The Chai surname mainly derives from the Jiang lineage; one branch descends from Gao Chai, a descendant of Duke Wen of Qi, and took an ancestral name as its surname.
Historical Records
Documentary Records
The Tongzhi records that Gao Chai, the tenth-generation descendant of Duke Wen of Qi through the Gao family, was a disciple of Confucius, and that his grandson Ju adopted the surname Chai from his grandfather's style name; it also records Chai Wu, Marquis of Jipu, of the Han dynasty.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Halls
The Chai surname is associated with Pingyang and Anyang commanderies, and with the halls named Pingyang Hall, Anyang Hall, and Shousheng Hall.
Migration and Distribution
Regional Distribution
Among Chai-surname users in 23Mofang's database, ancestral origins are mainly distributed across Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi; Zhejiang accounts for 10.9%, Shandong 10.6%, and Henan 10.0%.
Notable People
Historical Figure
Chai Shao was a renowned general of the Sui and Tang period and a founding meritorious official of the Tang dynasty. He married Princess Pingyang, daughter of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, and ranked fourteenth among the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion.
Continue your family research
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.
Surname attestation references
These catalogs or datasets attest written names, not every origin or lineage claim on this page.
This page includes automatically organized material. Check the references and original family documents.
Add or correct information
Submit the information and a reference link for possible inclusion on this page.