岂 Surname

Surname Overview

Qi is a currently rare surname found among Han and Yi people, and is included in the Xinbian Qianji姓 compilation.

Reference: 岂姓_岂姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

The Eight Kai Lineage

One line is traditionally traced to descendants of the Eight Kai and took the ancestral title as its surname. A related legend says five brothers adopted the surnames East, South, West, North, and Qi; this line is pronounced kǎi and reveres the Eight Kai as its founding ancestor.

Reference: 岂姓_岂姓的来源和历史_百家姓

The Juqi Qiang Lineage

One line derives from the Juqi Qiang tribal group of the ancient southwestern Yi peoples. Its descendants gradually merged into the Han population and adopted Qi as a single-character surname. This line is pronounced kǎi, regards Dianwu as its founding ancestor, and does not share a genealogy with the descendants of the Eight Kai.

Reference: 岂姓_岂姓的来源和历史_百家姓

The Miao Lineage

One line derives from the Miao people. Because its ancestors lived in Kaili, Guizhou, they used Kai as a surname; some later removed the 刂 component and changed it to Qi. This line is pronounced qǐ.

Reference: 岂姓_岂姓的来源和历史_百家姓

The Yi Lineage

One line derives from the Yi Ziqi tribe of the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan during the Song and Yuan periods. Some descendants adopted Qi as a Han surname, and later some changed it to Qi written with the character 岂.

Reference: 岂姓_岂姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Research Notes

Unresolved Origins

Another consolidated record explicitly states that the origin is unknown and lists the surname in Lulong and Chengde in Hebei, Chenggu in Shaanxi, Taipei in Taiwan, Heishan in Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Beijing.

Reference: 岂姓_岂姓的来源和历史_百家姓