Surname Overview
A Rare Multiethnic Surname
The surname Zhe, pronounced Zhě, is relatively rare today. It occurs among Han, Hui, Miao, Yi, and other ethnic groups and is found in Hebei, Shanxi, Gansu, Yunnan, and elsewhere.
Zhě Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 127Zhě / Che
Origins
Hui Bestowed-Surname Tradition
The Hui branch of the Zhe surname is chiefly recorded as a bestowed surname. The Saidianchi Genealogy lists Zhe among ten surnames bestowed after the Ming founder established his capital at Nanjing.
Historical Records
Written Attestations and Early Figures
The Xu Tongzhi surname treatise includes the Zhe surname and records its presence among Yunnan native Miao communities in the Ming period. Named figures include Zhe Su of the Yuan and Zhe Bao and Zhe Jirong of the Ming.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Ancestral Hall and Lineage Seats
A Zhe ancestral hall stands in Hanyi Village, Hexi Town, Tonghai County, Yuxi, Yunnan, with Kuixing Pavilion preserved as a lineage seat. Hui Zhe branches chiefly trace their lineage seats to the East Zhe and West Zhe settlements near Chongming Pagoda in Jingyang County, Shaanxi.
Migration and Distribution
Migration of the Hui Branch
The Hui Zhe branch initially lived near Chongming Pagoda in Jingyang County, Shaanxi, forming the East Zhe and West Zhe settlements. Following the Shaanxi Hui uprising during the Tongzhi era, members dispersed to other places, and some changed their ethnic identification.
Research Notes
Multiple Surname-Change Traditions
Surname-change traditions include Du losing the graph for “earth” to become Zhe, derivation from Fang, and a Zhu branch being renamed Zhe because the surnames Zhu and “pig” were homophonous. The specific reason for that branch’s banishment to Yunnan is unclear, with only an offense against the imperial clan recorded.
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