Surname Overview
The Zhi surname is currently uncommon. It is distributed in Tianjin, Hebei, and Shanxi, and is also found in Weishan in Yunnan, Xintai in Shandong, Beijing, and Heilongjiang.
只 Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 51Origins
The surname is recorded in the Yuan of Surnames, and it is also recorded as a Yi ethnic surname; its specific origin remains unknown.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestations
The surname appears in Xutongzhi: Shizulüe; related records also appear in the Dictionary of Historical Chinese Personal Names, which includes one entry for the surname.
Migration and Distribution
According to the county gazetteer, the Zhi families of Zhiguantun in Jinghai, Tianjin, migrated there during the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty. The surname is also distributed in Neiqiu and Chicheng in Hebei, Laiwu in Shandong, Qingxian in Hebei, and Huanxian in Gansu.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Historical figures include Zhi Chan and Zhi Bi of the Yuan dynasty, and Zhi Haoren of the Ming dynasty. Zhi Haoren was a juren of the Jiajing bingwu examination.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Genealogy Generations
The existing Zhi genealogy was reconstructed after the original was lost. Its generational names are Hong, Guang, Shi, Shi, Ting, Tong, Chang, Bing (Bing), De, Mao, Sheng, Tang; later generations use Qing, Jia, Ying, Jun, Yu, Shu, Guo, Chun, Zhong, Yong, Wei, Lian, Li, Qi, and Xing.
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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
These catalogs or datasets attest written names, not every origin or lineage claim on this page.
This page includes automatically organized material. Check the references and original family documents.
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