Origins
Origin With the Yellow Emperor
The founding ancestor of the Ji surname was the Yellow Emperor, who took Ji as his surname because he lived for a long time by the Ji River.
Ji Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 392,482Ji / Chi
Historical Records
Early Textual Records
The Discourses of the States records that the Yellow Emperor acquired the Ji surname through the Ji River; the Records of the Grand Historian records that Hou Ji inherited the Ji surname and became the ancestor of the Zhou dynasty.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Hall Names
The Ji surname's commanderies are Nanyang and Taiyuan. Its hall names include Shouqiu Hall and Chixi Hall.
Migration and Distribution
The Ji population underwent multiple migrations. During the great migrations of the Ming dynasty, groups moved from Shanxi to Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Zhejiang, and Shaanxi, with later descendants moving to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Today, major concentrations are in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei, northern Jiangsu, and Huaibei.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Genealogies and Generation Names
Ji genealogies are recorded in Jinxiang and Wenshang in Shandong, Xin'an, Anyang, and Nanyang in Henan, and Pizhou in Jiangsu. One lineage of Zhou Gong's descendants uses the generation sequence “枝兴衍圣（崇）绪，隆（龙）茂庆脉（传）长”.
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Surname attestation references
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