Yín Surname

Surname Overview

The surname Yin is pronounced Yín. It is a currently uncommon Han Chinese surname, distributed in Wuqing of Tianjin, Wen County of Henan, and Datong, Linfen, and Yuncheng of Shanxi.

Reference: 寅_寅姓氏起源来源_寅姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:寅

Origins

Accounts of the origin of the Yin surname trace it to the founding period of the ancient Shang, when the ten Heavenly Stems were used as surnames. Surname books also record surnames derived from the twelve Earthly Branches, including Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao.

Reference: 寅姓维客首页_万家姓

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

The Yin surname appears in Xingyuan and is also included in the Xudongzhi, “Clan and Lineage” section.

Reference: 寅_寅姓氏起源来源_寅姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:寅

Migration and Distribution

Migration Tradition

One tradition says that an ancestral branch of the Yin surname lived in Macheng, Hebei, and moved to Chenggu, Shaanxi, because of war. After some ancestors were pursued by the authorities, they changed the surname to Yan after arriving at their new residence; this branch later became concentrated in Liudu Village, Chenggu, Shaanxi.

Reference: 寅姓维客首页_万家姓

Notable People

Historical Figure

Yin Wuchen served as a professor in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, at the beginning of the Yuan-era Yan you period.

Reference: 寅_寅姓氏起源来源_寅姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:寅

Research Notes

Chronological Qualification

The dating of Yin Wuchen differs between records: the note in Xingyuan says “Song Yin Wuchen,” while the quotation from Wanshi Tongpu says “at the beginning of Yan you.” Since Yan you was a Yuan-era reign title, the period of the record remains subject to examination.

Reference: 寅_寅姓氏起源来源_寅姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:寅