Surname Overview
Modern Population
According to data published in 2006, nearly 7.3 million people bore the surname Deng, ranking it 29th nationwide and accounting for about 0.58% of China's population.
Deng Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 7,373,938Deng / Teng
Origins
Principal Origins
Deng may chiefly be a surname derived from the name of a state. A state of Deng existed in the Shang period; under the Zhou it was located around the southern end of the Nanyang Basin and was destroyed by Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. Some Deng lineages also arose when members of ethnic minorities adopted the surname.
Historical Records
Distribution During the Han Period
By the Han period, people surnamed Deng were already found in places including Nan'an in Shu Commandery, Chenggu, Yangcheng, Pingyang in Hedong, and Xi County.
Migration and Distribution
Migration and Concentration Since the Song
During the Song, the Deng population was concentrated chiefly in Hunan, Jiangxi, and Sichuan. Across the more than six centuries of the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods, it migrated mainly southward and southeastward, producing a Ming-era concentration centered on Jiangxi, Hunan, and Fujian. Since the Ming, movement has been mainly from the southeast toward western and southern regions, with major modern concentrations in Guangdong-Guangxi-Hunan and Sichuan-Chongqing.
Notable People
The Xinye Deng Clan
The Deng clan of Xinye in Nanyang was a prominent local lineage. Its noted figures included the Eastern Han founding general Deng Yu, General of Chariots and Cavalry Deng Zhi, Bohai administrator Deng Biao, General Who Pacifies the Liao Deng Zun, and the Three Kingdoms figures Deng Zhi, Deng Ai, and Deng Yang.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Generation Names Vary by Branch
There is no single nationwide generation-name sequence for the Deng surname; different branches use parallel versions. Sharing the surname Deng does not mean sharing the same sequence, so a purported universal sequence should not be applied indiscriminately.
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Surname attestation references
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