Surname Overview
Overview
Zhi, pronounced zhì, is a comparatively rare surname among the Han Chinese and is currently ranked 690th.
郅 Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 17,855Origins
Origin from an Ancient State
Zhi is recorded as the name of a state in the Shang period, whose name was later adopted as a surname. Its former seat may have been in ancient Yuzhi County, within present-day Qingyang, Gansu.
Historical Records
Recorded Ji-lineage Connection
The Qianfu Lun, in its discussion of clan surnames, treats Zhi as a branch of the Ji lineage and cites Zhi Du of Hedong and Zhi Junzhang of Runan in the Han period; this branch is regarded as descending from the Yellow Emperor.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commandery Associations
The Zhi surname's traditional commandery associations are Yan'an and Xiping.
Migration and Distribution
Present-day Distribution
The Zhi surname is geographically widespread but small in number, with communities or residents in Shanghe, Huimin, and the Heze area of Shandong; Yiyang, Gongyi, Xuchang, and Xiangcheng in Henan; and Ningjin and Yongnian in Hebei.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Zhi Du of the Western Han was from Yang County in Hedong Commandery and served as a prominent official under Emperor Jing. Other recorded figures include Zhi Yun of the Han, Zhi Chang of the Tang, and Zhi Lang, magistrate of Wu'an during the Yuan.
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.