Xi Surname

Surname Overview

The surname Xi is pronounced xí, ranked 133rd in the Song edition of the Hundred Family Surnames and 169th in the sixth national population census; the contemporary Han Chinese Xi population is about 470,000.

Reference: 席氏家谱网 提供8个省区市的32部席氏家谱、席氏族谱

Origins

Two Origins

The Xi surname has two origins: one derives from Xi Laoweng, described as the old man who sang while striking the soil during the reign of Tang Yao; the other derives from the Ji surname, when a descendant of the Ji surname changed to Xi to avoid Xiang Yu's name taboo.

Reference: 席姓起源分布与家谱家族

Historical Records

Classical Attestations

The Guangyun records that the Xi surname originated in Anding and that its ancestors bore the Ji surname before changing to Xi to avoid Xiang Yu's name; the Xingyuan likewise records descent from Ji Tan, a senior official of Jin.

Reference: 席氏家谱网 提供8个省区市的32部席氏家谱、席氏族谱

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commandery And Halls

The Xi surname is associated with Anding as a commandery designation; related hall names include Anding Hall, Dianxuan Hall, and Deshen Hall.

Reference: 席氏家谱-席氏族谱-席姓家族谱大全-家谱字辈 - 族谱网

Migration and Distribution

Migration Traces

Xi genealogies record that Xi Wen moved from Guanzhong to Dongting Dongshan in the late Tang period, and that Xi Shaosheng later moved from Dongting Dongshan to Jinling in the early Qing period.

Reference: 席氏家谱网 提供8个省区市的32部席氏家谱、席氏族谱

Genealogy and Generation Names

Yanjiin Generation Names

The Xi genealogy of Yanjin, Henan, records the generation-name sequence for generations 45 to 64: “Xian, Shao, Ming, Yuan, Qing; Xiang, Rui, Guo, Hua, Rong; Fu, He, Zhao, Gan, Kun; Yin, Zi, Jia, Chuan, Sheng.”

Reference: 席氏家谱-席氏族谱-席姓家族谱大全-家谱字辈 - 族谱网