Surname Overview
Population and Rank
The Tong surname ranks 478th among Chinese surnames and has approximately one million people; Suining County has nearly 100,000 people with the Tong surname.
Tong Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 183,521Tong / Tong
Origins
Two Origins
The Tong surname has two origins: one developed from the Zi-surname Tong lineage, with 同 commonly written as 仝; the other came from Jurchen people of the Jiagu clan adopting the Han surname Tong.
Historical Records
Documentary Record
The Jin Shi: Jinguo Jieyu records that “Jiagu is Tong.” The Jurchen Jiagu people gradually adopted Tong as a Han surname during the decline of the Jin dynasty and the southward migration of the Jurchens.
Migration and Distribution
Historical Distribution
During the Ming dynasty, the Tong surname had approximately 10,000 people, mainly distributed in Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Hebei, and Hunan; Shanxi accounted for about 34% of the total Tong population.
Notable People
Tong Wenrui
Tong Wenrui was from Liaodong, became a Presented Scholar during the Zhizheng era of the Yuan dynasty, and rose to Minister of War. He left office and moved to Suining at the end of the Yuan, and did not accept Zhu Yuanzhang’s summons in the early Ming.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Suining Branch Migrations
The Suining Tong lineage regards Tong Wenrui as its common ancestor; his six sons respectively remained in Suining, returned to Liaodong, or went to Shaanxi, Henan, Huguang, and Beijing.
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