Surname Overview
A Rare Surname
Ba (Bà) is a relatively rare surname currently found among both Han and Yi people.
Bà Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 7Bà / Pa
Origins
Line Associated with the Phagpa Title
Some descendants of Luo Zhejianzhan adopted Chinese surnames based on characters approximating the first sound of the ancestral title “Phagpa,” including Ba; these descendants later became incorporated respectively into Tibetan, Mongol, Yi, and Han communities.
Historical Records
The Shiwei Lineage and a Textual Variant
The Xing氏 Kaolüe, citing the Lushi, records Ba descendants of Shiwei; the Surname Dictionary explains that descendants of the Peng-surnamed Shiwei adopted Ba as their surname. In the related entry from the Complete Dictionary of Chinese Surnames, “Western Xia” should read “Xia.”
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Hall Names
Hall names include Qinghe Hall and Jingzhou Hall. Jingzhou Hall is also called Hengshui Hall, and both names derive from commandery associations.
Migration and Distribution
Distribution and Commandery Associations
The Ba surname is found in Bairin Left Banner in Inner Mongolia, Jiangchuan in Yuxi, Yunnan, Jing County in Hengshui, Hebei, Taiyuan in Shanxi, and parts of Zhumadian and Runan County in Henan. Its commandery associations are Qinghe and Jingzhou.
Notable People
Ba Xu of the Han Dynasty
Ba Xu was a person of the Han dynasty and is mentioned in the Yizhou Qijiu Zhuan.
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Surname attestation references
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