臣 Surname

Surname Overview

Chen is a currently uncommon Han Chinese surname recorded in the Xutongzhi: Clans and Lineages.

Reference: 臣_臣姓氏起源来源_臣姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:臣

Origins

Main Origins

One tradition traces the surname to Chen Hu during the reign of Shang Ta Wu; another connects it with the Mahan official title “Chen Zhi,” which descendants may have adopted as a surname.

Reference: 臣_臣姓氏起源来源_臣姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:臣

Other Origin Traditions

Other traditions derive the surname from an occupational status designation, from the ancestral name of descendants of Chu Muwang Xiong Shangchen, or from Chen descendants who changed their surname to avoid calamity.

Reference: 臣姓_臣姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

Records mention Chen Zong, an Eastern Han General Who Pacified the East, and Tang-dynasty Chen Yue, author of Sui Ping Chen Ji.

Reference: 臣_臣姓氏起源来源_臣姓氏名人查询_姓氏大全:臣

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies and Hall Names

The principal commanderies are commonly given as Jingzhao and Xiangyang; the hall names are Jingzhao Hall and Xiangyang Hall, both established from their commandery names.

Reference: 臣姓_臣姓的来源和历史_百家姓