Mei Surname

Surname Overview

The Mei surname ranks 136th among surnames in China today and accounts for about 0.1% of the Han Chinese population.

Reference: “梅”姓有哪些历史起源？其中又有哪些名人呢？-趣历史网

Origins

Zi-Surname Origin

One branch of the Mei surname derives from the Zi surname and descends from King Tang of Shang. During the Shang period, King Ding granted his younger brother Mei, and later descendants adopted the fief name as their surname.

Reference: “梅”姓有哪些历史起源？其中又有哪些名人呢？-趣历史网

Si-Surname Origin

Another branch of the Mei surname derives from the Si surname. During the Spring and Autumn period, descendants of King Goujian of Yue were enfeoffed at Meili and later adopted the place name as their surname.

Reference: 梅姓起源分布与家谱家族

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies of Prestige

The Mei surname formed two major commanderies of prestige centered on Runan and Xuancheng.

Reference: 梅姓起源与历史：梅姓是不是稀有姓氏？-族谱网

Migration and Distribution

Before the Qin dynasty, the Mei surname was mainly active in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu. During the Qin and Han periods it spread into Hunan and Hubei, western Sichuan, and Zhejiang and Jiangxi; after the Tang and Song periods it was distributed across southern China.

Reference: 梅姓起源分布与家谱家族

Notable People

Historical Figure

Mei Lanfang was a modern Peking Opera artist who founded the Mei school of performance. His representative works include The Drunken Beauty and Farewell My Concubine.

Reference: “梅”姓有哪些历史起源？其中又有哪些名人呢？-趣历史网