Surname Overview
The surname Shi is pronounced Shí; it is currently relatively rare but widely distributed.
Surname Rarity
The Shi surname has fewer than one thousand people and is classified as a rare surname, ranking 1521st in the surname listing.
Shí Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 1Shí / Shih
Origins
Main Origins
The surname is traced to the Xianbei Tuoba lineage descended from Tuoba Shiyijian, to the military term shiwu or the title shizhang, and to a Manchu surname in the Qing period.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestations
The Xing shi kao lüe records a Xianbei origin and identifies Shiyijian as the personal name of the Later Wei Emperor Zhaowu; this branch took a personal name as its surname.
Migration and Distribution
Geographic Distribution
The surname is found in Mian County and Mei County in Shaanxi; Gulang in Gansu; Xinyang and Xinrong in Henan; Shangyi in Hebei; Lichuan in Hubei; Hejiang in Sichuan; Xinhui in Guangdong; Pucheng in Fujian; Yuhang in Zhejiang; Kunshan in Jiangsu; Loudi in Hunan; and Jinning in Yunnan.
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Surname attestation references
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