Surname Overview
Overview
Shi is an important Chinese surname. Its principal commanderies are Bohai, Pingyuan, Shangdang, and Henan, and it ranks 63rd among the one hundred major Chinese surnames.
Shi Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 4,182,566Shi / Shih
Origins
Main Origin
The earliest branch of the Shi surname is traced to the descendants of Shi Que, a grandee of Wey; his grandson Shi Taizhong adopted his grandfather's courtesy name as a surname.
Historical Records
Documentary Records
The Qianfulun records Shi among the clans of Wey. The Yuanhe Xingzuan directly states that the Shi surname descended from Shi Que, and works by Zheng Qiao and others hold the same view.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Halls
The Shi surname has the commanderies of Bohai, Pingyuan, Shangdang, and Henan; related genealogies record halls such as Chunchentang, Dunbentang, and Youmitang.
Migration and Distribution
Branch Migrations
The Wuwei Shi branch states that it migrated from the north during the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty; many members of the Susong branch came from Leping Lingtian in Jiangxi; and the Duqing Hall branch in Fengtai migrated from Yanzhou, Shandong.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Shi Que was a grandee of Wey in the Spring and Autumn period, renowned for "placing justice above family"; Shi Fen was called "Lord Ten-Thousand-Piculs" by Emperor Gaozu of Han because he and his four sons each reached the rank of two-thousand-picul official.
Research Notes
Branch Differences
Generational names differ among Shi branches. The "Wuqin Guangji Chaoding" branch in Jieshou has exhausted its generational names, while the "Wanjin Guangchengdao" branch in Wuhe faces a risk of a generational gap.
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Start with ancestral counties, villages, personal names and dates. Record genealogy titles, volumes, editions and catalog identifiers. A shared surname does not prove a shared lineage; compare branch records.
Surname attestation references
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