Origins
Descendants of Zhurong
The Ye surname is traditionally said to originate from Zhurong, the ancient fire god; his tribe used flames as its totem, and later descendants adopted “Ye” as their surname.
Origin from Ye Settlement
One account holds that during the Western Zhou period, a noble was enfeoffed in Ye settlement, and his descendants took the settlement as their surname, forming the Ye lineage.
Surname Change to Avoid Taboo
It is traditionally said that during the Tang dynasty, an official changed the original surname “Ye” to “Ye” in order to avoid the emperor’s taboo name; his family multiplied in the Jincheng area of Shanxi.
Origin from an Official Title
One account holds that the Zhou dynasty established the office of “Ye person,” responsible for torch ceremonies during rituals, and that descendants took Ye from the official title as their surname.