Shi Surname

Surname Overview

Nature of the Shi Surname

The Shi surname is traditionally regarded as an official-title surname used by descendants of official historians, with a history of at least 4,000 years.

Reference: 史姓起源分布与家谱家族

Origins

Two Main Origins

The Shi surname has two main branches: one descended from Cangjie, and the other from Shi Yi, the Grand Historian of Zhou; both are associated with official positions.

Reference: 史姓起源分布与家谱家族

Adoption by Non-Han Groups

During the Sui and Tang period, people from the Western Regions' Shi state, members of the Ashina clan who entered the Central Plains, and some people of the Xi ethnicity adopted the Shi surname; after living among the Han, they were assimilated.

Reference: 史姓起源分布与家谱家族

Historical Records

Pre-Qin Offices and Written Records

The functions of official historians appear in the administrative systems of several states during the Shang and Zhou periods, and related offices are attested in the oracle-bone inscriptions of Yinxu.

Reference: 史姓起源分布与家谱家族

Migration and Distribution

Historical Migration and Distribution

By the pre-Qin period, the Shi surname was distributed north and south of the Yellow River and throughout the Yangtze River basin; after the Western Han, it expanded from Shandong toward Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and other areas.

Reference: 史姓起源分布与家谱家族

Genealogy and Generation Names

Halls and Migration Records in Genealogies

The catalog of extant Shi genealogies records halls such as Chengze Hall, Huaili Hall, and Jiufu Hall, along with branch records of migrations from Liyang to Huai'an, Wujiang, Wujin, and other places.

Reference: 史氏家谱网 提供12个省区市的129部史氏家谱、史氏族谱