Zǐ Surname

Surname Overview

A Major Pre-Qin Surname

In the pre-Qin period, Zi was a major surname; today, its population is small.

Reference: “子”姓是远古大姓，为何发展到现在人口不过万？-族谱网

Origins

Origins in the Shang Lineage

Xie, regarded as the founder of the Shang, is among the ancestors of the Zi surname. One account says his descendants adopted Zi because of the tale that he was born after his mother swallowed an egg; another says Shun bestowed the surname Zi on Xie.

Reference: “子”姓是远古大姓，为何发展到现在人口不过万？-族谱网

Derived Surnames

The surnames Lin, Song, Dai, Yin, Shang, Zhong, Kong, Tang, and Mei are listed as branches derived from the Zi surname.

Reference: “子”姓是远古大姓，为何发展到现在人口不过万？-族谱网

Migration and Distribution

Distribution in Yunnan

Some data indicate that the Zi surname has a high proportion among ethnic-minority populations in Yunnan. Yongsheng County is described as having many people with the surname, all of whom are Yi people in the stated account.

Reference: “子”姓是远古大姓，为何发展到现在人口不过万？-族谱网

Notable People

Zi Ri Gong

Zi Ri Gong accompanied the Yuan emperor in the campaign against Tubo and was granted the position of first tusi of Shunzhou in Yongsheng, Lijiang, Yunnan. He is described as the twenty-fifth-generation ancestor of the Zi surname family.

Reference: “子”姓是远古大姓，为何发展到现在人口不过万？-族谱网

Genealogy and Generation Names

Surname and Clan Name

The Zi surname and clan name belong to a family in which the surname became the clan name. Because the family population was small, the unification of surnames and clan names left relatively few people retaining Zi itself.

Reference: “子”姓是远古大姓，为何发展到现在人口不过万？-族谱网