Ji Surname

Surname Overview

Ji, pronounced jí, is a relatively rare but widely distributed surname found among both Han and Manchu people. It is recorded in the clan-name sections of Zheng Tongzhi and Xu Tongzhi.

Reference: 籍姓_籍姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

Official and Place-Name Origins

One branch of the Ji surname traces to the Ji royal clan: during the Spring and Autumn period, Bo Yan of Jin managed official records, and his descendants adopted his office as their surname. Another branch took its surname from the place-names Jipu in Wey and Jiqiu in Qi.

Reference: 《百家姓》第275姓：籍，籍姓来源、分布地域与名人介绍 | 速查君

Historical Records

Account of Bo Yan's Lineage

Zheng Qiao recorded that Bo Yan, a grandson of the Jin official Xun Linfu, first used Bo from his grandfather's style name and was also called Ji because he managed the records of Jin; this represents adoption of an official role as a surname.

Reference: 籍姓_籍姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Guangping Ancestral Seat and Hall

The Ji surname's ancestral commandery was Guangping, and its hall name was Guangping Hall. Guangping Commandery was separated from Handan Commandery in 149 BCE under Emperor Jing of Han, with its seat southeast of present-day Jize, Hebei.

Reference: 籍姓_籍姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Migration and Distribution

Migration and Modern Distribution

Around the partition of Jin, members of the Ji clan left Shanxi for the state of Song, in an area extending from present-day Shangqiu in Henan toward western Tongshan in Jiangsu, and later became a prominent clan in ancient Guangping Commandery. In modern times, the main populations are reported in Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Beijing, Tianjin, and the three northeastern provinces, totaling about 42,000 people.

Reference: 籍姓_籍姓的来源和历史_百家姓