Surname Overview
Pronunciation and Overview
Shan, pronounced shàn, is a relatively uncommon surname in current use.
鄯 Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 1Origins
Surname Derived from a State
The Shan surname originated from Shanshan and adopted the state's name as a surname. Shanshan was originally called Loulan, one of the thirty-six states of the Western Regions during the Han period, southeast of present-day Shanshan County, Xinjiang.
Ancestry of the Henan Shan Line
The Henan Shan lineage traced its ancestor to a grandson of Chong, king of Shanshan, who returned to the state in the sixth year of the Northern Wei Tai-ping Zhen-jun era and then adopted the state's name as his surname.
Historical Records
Documentary Records
The surname appears in Xing Yuan. The Surname Dictionary, citing the Book of Wei, records that the Shan surname was derived from a state, while Xing-shi Kao-lue likewise traces it to the Shanshan clan.
Migration and Distribution
The Henan Shan lineage first lived in Western Xia and later moved to Luoyang. The surname is now found in Gong County, Henan; Benxi, Liaoning; and Taiyuan, Yangquan, Shuozhou, and the Jinzhong area of Shanxi.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Shan Qian served in the Northern Wei as inspector of Hejian and Marquis Ding of Linze. Shan Mi is recorded in the Northern Zhou, and Shan Yang in the Jin dynasty.
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