Surname Overview
Surname Status
The source identifies Ci (茨, pronounced cí) as a rare surname currently used among Han Chinese.
Cí Surname
Surname profileCí / Tz'u
Origins
Plant-Name Origin
According to the page's quotation of Xingshi Kaolüe, one account derives the surname from a plant name, explaining ci as the plant 蒺藜.
Compound-Surname Origin
According to the page's quotation of Xingshi Kaolüe, another account says the Ci surname may have developed from the compound surname Cibi; the wording is explicitly tentative.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestation
This secondary compilation says that the surname Ci is also included in Zheng Tongzhi: Shizu Lüe; only the compilation's report, not the original text, is verified here.
Notable People
Recorded Person and Commandery
The page lists Ci Chong as a native of Wan and governor of Guiyang during the Eastern Han, and names Guiyang as the surname's commandery association. This is an unverified compilation entry and does not establish a shared lineage with other bearers of the surname.
Continue your family research
Start with ancestral counties, villages, personal names and dates. Record genealogy titles, volumes, editions and catalog identifiers. A shared surname does not prove a shared lineage; compare branch records.
Surname attestation references
These catalogs or datasets attest written names, not every origin or lineage claim on this page.
This page includes automatically organized material. Check the references and original family documents.
Add or correct information
Submit the information and a reference link for possible inclusion on this page.