Surname Overview
A Rare Han Chinese Surname
Yuan (园/園), pronounced yuán, is a relatively rare surname currently found among Han Chinese.
Yuán Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 3Yuán / Yüan
Origins
Changed from the Quan Surname
One branch changed from the Quan surname to Yuan while fleeing danger. The Quan line was associated either with descendants of Yu Xiong of Chu or with descendants of Quan, a son of Duke Mu of Zheng, and thus may derive from the Mi or Ji clan.
Residence, Occupation, and Yu-Lineage Traditions
Other traditions derive the surname from a place of residence, from gardening as an occupation, or from Dongyuan Gong, a man surnamed Yu whose sobriquet came from living in a garden. The textual basis of the occupational explanation is unclear.
Historical Records
Early Personal Attestations
Yuan Gong is listed among the Four Elders of Mount Shang in the Han period; Yuan Ke appears in Liexian Zhuan, and Yuan Yu appears in Chenliu Zhi.
Migration and Distribution
Geographic Distribution
The Yuan surname is found in Chengdu, Mianyang, Deyang, and Zhongjiang in Sichuan; Wuhan in Hubei; Yanshi in Henan; and Taiyuan, Datong, Changzhi, Shuozhou, Xinzhou, and the Luliang area in Shanxi. It is also recorded in Wujin, Jiangsu; Jiangshan and Yuyao, Zhejiang; Linying, Henan; and Xintai, Shandong.
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Surname attestation references
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