Nián / Nien
Two main origins are recorded for the Nian surname: one derives from the Jiang surname, when Duke Huan of Qi, Jiang Xiaobai, adopted the character “Nian” from his grandfather Yizhong Nian; the other derives from the Yan surname, as Ming official Nian Fu was originally Yan and changed the surname after a dialectal mispronunciation. Related records appear in the Lushi and the biography of Nian Fu in the History of the Ming.
Documentary accounts of the surname include the statement that descendants of Qi Taigong had the Nian surname, as well as the account that the Ming figure Yan Fu of Huaiyuan became Nian Fu through a phonetic error and that his descendants adopted Nian as their surname.
The Nian surname has Huaiyuan Commandery as its principal commandery designation, with Huaiyuan Hall, Gongding Hall, and Bingyan Hall among its main hall names.
The Nian lineage of Gulang in Wuwei migrated from Lintao County, Gansu, around 1750. By 1858, more than a century had passed since the migration; the Lintao lineage may have originated in Xining.
Representative figures of the Nian surname include the Ming official Nian Fu and the Qing officials and brothers Nian Xiyao and Nian Gengyao.
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