Surname Overview
Lin is a relatively rare Han Chinese surname today, distributed in Beijing and Linfen, Shanxi, among other places.
Lín Surname
Surname profileLín / Lin
Origins
Two Origins
One lineage descends from Dalin, one of the eight accomplished men of Zhuanxu's Gaoyang clan, whose descendants took Lin from his name; another arose from Linyi in Jin during the Spring and Autumn period, with residents taking Lin as their surname.
Historical Records
Records and Commandery
The Lin surname is first recorded in the Southern Song work Tongzhi: Shizulüe. It is also included in the Shizulüe sections of Zheng Tongzhi and Xu Tongzhi, and its commandery is Xihe.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Ancestral Offering
The ancestral spirit tablet of the Lin surname is enshrined in cabinet No. 8 of the Dahuaishu Ancestral Hall.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Lin Xiaocun was from Beihai in the Han dynasty; Lin Xiaogong was from Jingzhao in the Sui dynasty; and Lin Jiancheng was from Shiqian, Guizhou, in the Ming dynasty and served as an administrator of Pingyang Prefecture during the Zhengde reign.
Lin Xiaoxing
Lin Xiaoxing was a learned and renowned man from Beihai in the Eastern Han; Kong Rong regretted never having met him.
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Surname attestation references
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