Jiá Surname

Surname Overview

Jia (Jiá) is a relatively uncommon Han Chinese surname. It ranks 317th in the Song-dynasty edition of the Hundred Family Surnames and is geographically widespread but small in population.

Reference: 郏姓_郏姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

Three Toponymic Origin Traditions

Three toponymic origins are recorded: residents of Jiaru adopted the place name after King Cheng of Zhou established the royal cauldrons there; the ancestors of the Zheng official Jia Zhang held Jia Township and adopted the fief as their surname; and a Spring and Autumn-period Chu official received Jia as a fief, leading his descendants to use it as a surname.

Reference: 郏姓_郏姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

The surname Jia is included in the clan sections of both the General History of Zheng and the General History of the Qing. Zheng Qiao connected it with Jia Zhang in the Zuo Tradition, whose ancestors were enfeoffed at Jia Township, while the Survey of Surnames cited the Yuanhe Compilation of Surnames regarding residents adopting Jia after King Cheng of Zhou established the royal cauldrons there.

Reference: 郏姓_郏姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies and Hall Names

The surname's ancestral commanderies are Xingyang and Wuling. Its hall names include Xingyang, Wuling, Xiangyang, Sinong, Sanwu, and Liuhe.

Reference: 郏姓_郏姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Migration and Distribution

Modern Distribution

People surnamed Jia are found in Feng County and Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu; Jining and Jiaxiang in Shandong; Mong Kok in Hong Kong; Shanghai; Inner Mongolia; Haikou in Hainan; Mengcheng in Anhui; and Yushan in Jiangxi.

Reference: 郏姓_郏姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Notable People

Jia Dan and Taihu Waterworks

Jia Dan (1038-1103), courtesy name Zhengfu, was a Northern Song hydraulic engineer from Taicang. He surveyed the Taihu region and more than 260 rivers, wrote the four-volume Wumen Treatise on Water Conservancy, and produced numerous hydraulic maps.

Reference: 郏姓_郏姓的来源和历史_百家姓