Surname Overview
Overview
The Di surname derives from the Ji surname. Its founding ancestor was Xiaobo, and it was formed from the name of a state. Today it is mainly distributed in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, and Jiangsu.
Di Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 156,540Di / Ti
Origins
Main Origins
Xiaobo was the younger brother of King Cheng of Zhou and the son of King Wu of Zhou. He was enfeoffed at Dicheng, around present-day Gaoqing in Shandong, and established the state of Di. After its fall, descendants of its ruling clan adopted the former state's name as their surname.
Reference: 狄姓起源 - 姓氏根脉·家族渊源 - 姓氏大全
Additional Origin
Another branch of the Di surname came from the Di peoples of the northwest. Some Di people adopted Di as their surname after assimilating into the Han Chinese population.
Historical Records
Documentary Record
The Tongzhi: Clan Records states that the Di surname belonged to the Ji surname and arose when King Cheng of Zhou enfeoffed Xiaobo at Dicheng, after which his descendants took the state name as their surname. The Di surname was already recorded during the Warring States period.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies
The principal commanderies associated with the Di surname were Tianshui and Taiyuan. Tianshui Commandery was located around present-day Tianshui in Gansu, and Taiyuan Commandery around present-day Taiyuan in Shanxi.
Migration and Distribution
The Di surname began moving south during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. In more recent times it continued migrating southward, with Di communities forming in Jiangsu, Shanghai, and elsewhere.
Notable People
Historical Figure
Di Renjie was a renowned Tang chancellor from Taiyuan in Bingzhou. As Grand Judge, he handled 17,000 delayed cases without a single wrongful complaint; he later became chancellor, and Empress Wu honored him as the “Elder of the State.”
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