Ge Surname

Surname Overview

Modern Population and Distribution

The modern Ge population is close to 1.4 million, accounting for about 0.11% of China's population; Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, and Hebei are the main distribution areas.

Reference: 葛姓起源分布与家谱家族

Origins

The State and Territory of Ge

During the Shang, Zhou, and Spring and Autumn periods, the state of Ge existed around present-day Ningling, Henan. In the Warring States period, Ge became a territory of Wei, and the surname may have originated from the state or territory name.

Reference: 葛姓起源分布与家谱家族

Adoption by Minority Groups

The surname Ge also arose through surname changes among minority groups, including the Northern Wei Xianbei Hegeshi adopting the Han surname Ge, and some Manchu Eight Banners clans collectively changing their surname to Ge in the early Qing period.

Reference: 葛姓起源分布与家谱家族

Historical Records

Records from Qin to Wei-Jin

By the Qin, Han, and Wei-Jin periods, the Ge surname was already widely distributed across Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu; associated figures are recorded from the late Qin, Eastern Han, and Eastern Jin.

Reference: 葛姓起源分布与家谱家族

Migration and Distribution

Northward Distribution from Jiangsu-Zhejiang

Over nearly the past millennium, the Ge surname formed a distribution zone centered on Jiangsu and Zhejiang, extending northward along the coast into Northeast China; ancestral registrations are especially concentrated in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong.

Reference: 葛姓起源分布与家谱家族

Notable People

Historical Figures

Historical figures bearing the Ge surname appear across several periods, including Ge Ying, Ge Hong, Ge Congzhou, Ge Shengzhong, Ge Lifang, Ge Bi, and Ge Tianmin.

Reference: 葛姓起源分布与家谱家族