sì Surname

Surname Overview

The surname Si is pronounced sì. It is currently rare, widely distributed, and especially common in Shanxi.

Reference: 四姓_四姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

The surname is associated mainly with the Si surname and the Zi surname. One line descends from Si Chen, a Spring and Autumn official of Song, and was later written as Si; another descends from Zi Sisheng, a son of Duke Huan of Song. Origins among the Xianbei and Mongols are also recorded.

Reference: 四姓_四姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

The surname is included in the Xù Tōngzhì, in the section on clans. The Xing shi kao lüe, citing the Lushi, records that the Zi surname had the Si clan. Si Shui is recorded in the Spring and Autumn period, and Si Xiang in the Song dynasty.

Reference: 四姓_四姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Migration and Distribution

Distribution and Migration

The surname is found today in Lushui in Yunnan, Guanyang in Guangxi, and Taiyuan, Changzhi, Yuncheng, Linfen, Shuozhou, and Lüliang in Shanxi, among Han and Lisu people. Among the Mongolian Dörbet, it is mainly distributed around present-day Dörbet Mongolian Autonomous Banner in Daqing, Heilongjiang.

Reference: 四姓_四姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Notable People

Historical Figures

Si Shui was a minister of King Goujian of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period and proposed a strategy for conquering Wu. Si Xiang was prefect of Tingzhou during the Qingyuan era of the Song dynasty.

Reference: 四姓_四姓的来源和历史_百家姓