Surname Overview
Genealogy Distribution
The collection includes 147 genealogies and clan records of the Shi surname from 12 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.
Shi Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 1,797,063Shi / Shih
Origins
Three Origins
The Shi surname is traced to three branches: the state of Shi in the Xia period, whose people adopted the state name after its fall; a Shang-period Shi branch associated with banner-making; and the Shi of Lu, descended from the Ji surname and taking the name from Shi Fu's courtesy name.
Historical Records
Classical Record
Deng Mingshi's Southern Song work records that the Shi of Lu descended from Wei, son of Duke Hui of Lu, whose courtesy name was Shi Fu; through Shi Bo, Qing Shu, and Xiao Shu, the descendants began using an ancestor's courtesy name as their surname.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Clan Halls
Clan-hall names recorded in the genealogical entries include Rundefang, Baoyin Hall, Jingsi Hall, Zhangde Hall, Cunren Hall, Wuben Hall, Zongbo Hall, and Zhujin Hall.
Migration and Distribution
Migration and Settlement
Recorded migrations include moves from Wuxing Shuikou to Shanghai in the early Ming, from Huzhou Gui'an County to Huaqing at the end of the Yuan, from Zhejiang Zuiji to Chongming at the end of the Song, and from Huzhou Wucheng to Zhenze in Wu County in the seventh year of the Shunzhi reign.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Genealogical Record
The Record of the Shi Ancestors places Shi Fu, the youngest son of Duke Hui of Lu, as the first generation and the enfeoffed founding ancestor; it records his sixty-eighth-generation descendant Ting Shan as moving from Jurong to Chongming and becoming the founding ancestor of the Chongming branch.
Research Notes
Location of Shi
The location of the ancient state of Shi is not recorded in historical books; identifying it with Enshi in Hubei is a later annotation offered for reference.
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