Surname Overview
A Rare Surname
Han, pronounced hàn, is a relatively rare surname currently found among Han Chinese, Mongolian, and Lisu communities.
Han Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 128Han / Han
Origins
Derived from a Dynastic Name
One branch is recorded as descending from Emperor Gaozu of Han. After the Han dynasty ended, some descendants adopted the dynastic name Han as their surname under the tradition that descendants could take a fallen state's name as a lineage name. The surname also occurs among the Dongxiang people.
Migration and Distribution
Geographic Distribution
The Han surname is recorded in Taiyuan, Datong, and Linfen in Shanxi; Tacheng in Xinjiang; Wuchuan in Guangdong; Longchuan, Qiubei, and Yingjiang in Yunnan; as well as Zhongxiang, Yiwu, Keelung, Kaohsiung, Hualien, Chishui, Rizhao, Beijing, and Yuzhong in Gansu.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Han Lun served as prefect of Shenzhou during the Song dynasty. Han Luan, a native of Rizhao in Shandong, served as an inspector in Shaowu Prefecture during the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty. The modern architect and educator Han Pao-teh was a descendant of the Han clan of Rizhao.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Rizhao Han Clan Genealogy
Hanjia Gaolu Village in Rizhao, Shandong, preserves a Han clan genealogy recording several centuries of the local clan's migration and growth.
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Surname attestation references
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