Origins
Surname from an Official Title
The Qian surname derives from the Peng surname. In the Zhou period, Peng Fu served as a superior official in the Qian (Quan) treasury office, and his descendants adopted the official title as their surname.
Qian Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 2,284,315Qian / Ch'ien
Historical Records
Early Recorded Figures
Qian Dan and Qian Chan are the earliest Qian-surname figures recorded in historical books. Both lived during the Warring States period; Qian Dan was a recluse, while Qian Chan served as Grand Censor of Qin.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
The Wuxing Commandery Origin
During the Sun Wu period of the Three Kingdoms, Qian-surname settlements such as Wucheng and Changxing belonged to Wuxing Commandery, which consequently became a renowned commandery origin of the Qian surname.
Migration and Distribution
Historical Migration and Distribution
During the Qin and Han periods, the Qian surname developed around Xuzhou in Jiangsu. By the Three Kingdoms period it had spread across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui; during the Jin period Jiangxi became another important base; before the Tang period it was distributed across the Central Plains and both sides of the Yangtze River.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Qian Qi was a major Tang poet and one of the “Ten Talents of the Dali Era”; Qian Liu established the Wuyue kingdom; Qian Daxin was a Qing-period evidential scholar.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Qian Clan Generation Names
Recorded Qian generation-name sequences include “Haode Renyi Lizhi Xin Xiaoti Zhongshu” in Jishui, Jiangxi; “Bosi Xiaoyou Zhonghuai Jingong Zhongxin Lide Liyi Yanfang” in Chaoshan, Guangdong; and “Xingbang Baoguo Chongde Zhidao Tongjing Bogumingti Dayong” in Haining, Zhejiang.
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