The 23mofang introduction gives rank 50, over 4.2 million and 0.35%, without identifying the year, method or whether 闫 and 阎 were combined. These remain secondary-source leads, not verified current statistics. Its regional chart describes its own DNA-testing users, not the national population.
One branch originated from the Ji surname and arose from the fief of Zhongyi, great-grandson of Gugong Danfu, at Yanxiang, taking the name of the fief as its surname. After the state of Yu fell, his descendants took the name of its former capital as their surname.
The Xingpu records Yan and Yan as two surnames; the Wuyin Jiyun records that 闫 has the same meaning as 阎 and is a conventional form.
The recorded commanderies include Tianshui, Henan, and Taiyuan Prefecture (Taiyuan Commandery). Hall names include Taiyuan Hall, Henan Hall, Tianshui Hall, Youxiang Hall, Danqing Hall, and Riyue Hall.
The Yan surname first developed in Shanxi and Hubei. During the Eastern Han it spread into Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu; during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, many northern bearers moved south. During the Tang and Song, it spread across many parts of Jiangnan, and during the Ming and Qing it gradually expanded farther south.
Yan Liben was a Tang dynasty painter who served as Minister of Works, Right Chancellor, and Secretariat Director. He specialized in painting figures, chariots and horses, and palace architecture; surviving works include The Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy, Tribute Bearers, and Portraits of Successive Emperors.
The earlier 3,077,383 is a ChineseNames frequency. Its documented scope covers Han Chinese born in 1930–2008 and alive in 2008, not a 2026 census or an annual population series.
Reference: ChineseNames · 作者的数据来源与覆盖范围说明
The familyname table lists 闫 and 阎 separately. Preserve the recorded spelling and check dates and coverage before comparison. Separate rows must not be silently combined; similar spellings do not establish a shared lineage.
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.
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.
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