Surname Overview
Pronunciation and Overview
The surname Yi is pronounced yǐ and was not included in the old Chinese Hundred Family Surnames.
矣 Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 226Origins
Yi Ethnic Origin
The surname mainly originated among the Yi people, from the Yiluoluo clan of Yunnan during the Ming and Qing periods, and arose through the Sinicization of a clan name.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestations
The surname is included in Xinbian Qianjiaxing. Xingshi Kaolüe records its presence in Yunnan and states that it still existed there in more recent times.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Ancestral Seat and Totems
Members of the Yi surname commonly regard Yuxi, Yunnan, as their ancestral seat; clan totems include Shuiniufan and Tongfanluofan.
Migration and Distribution
Geographic Distribution
The surname is found in Yuxi, Weishan, Dongchuan, Jinning, Jinggu, Qiubei, and Jiangchuan in Yunnan; Taiyuan and Yuci in Shanxi; Yiyang in Hunan; Wuchuan in Guangdong; Shenyang in Liaoning; Kaohsiung in Taiwan; and Xintai in Shandong.
Notable People
Yuan-Dynasty Figure
A Yuan-dynasty figure bearing the surname was Yi Dou.
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Surname attestation references
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