Fa Surname

Surname Overview

The surname Fa is pronounced fǎ. It is currently uncommon and has multiple ethnic and ancestral origins. It ranked 461st in the Song edition of The Hundred Family Surnames, with its notable commandery associated with Fufeng.

Reference: 法姓_法姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

Main Origins

The traditional Han Chinese lineage is traced to the Gui-surname Tian clan, descendants of King Xiang of Qi, Fa Zhang. After Qin destroyed Qi, descendants avoided the Tian surname and adopted Fa. Other recorded origins include the sinicized transliteration of an ancestor's name among Hui people; the Khitan office of Fawuku; the Han office of Facao; the Song office of Fajiuku; and sinicized surname changes among the Mongolian Wuyao clan and several Manchu clans.

Reference: 法姓_法姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Historical Records

Documentary Records

The Biography of Fa Xiong in the Book of the Later Han records that descendants of King Xiang of Qi, Fa Zhang, adopted Fa after Qin destroyed Qi. The Yuanhe Xingzuan records that the surname belonged originally to the Gui lineage and descended from the Tian clan, taking the name of King Xiang of Qi, Fa Zhang.

Reference: 法姓_法姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commandery and Hall Names

The surname's commandery is Fufeng. Recorded hall names include Fufeng Hall, Jinhui Hall, and Tianxi Hall. Fufeng underwent changes in name, seat, and territory across different periods.

Reference: 法姓_法姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Migration and Distribution

Geographic Distribution

Historical records place the surname mainly west of Chang'an County in Shaanxi, with its prominent lineage in Fufeng. Today it is geographically widespread but numerically small, appearing in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Taiwan, and elsewhere. Hui lineages are recorded mainly in Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Gansu; Salar lineages in Xunhua, Qinghai; and Yao lineages in Funing, Yunnan.

Reference: 法姓_法姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Notable People

Historical Figures

Historical figures with the surname Fa include the Eastern Han figures Fa Xiong and Fa Zhen, the Shu Han strategist Fa Zheng, Fa Ruozheng, a Hui figure of the Yuan-Ming transition, and the early Qing painter Fa Ruozhen.

Reference: 法姓_法姓的来源和历史_百家姓