Xi Surname

Surname Overview

Overview

Xi (xī) is a currently rare surname found among both Han and Korean ethnic groups. It is found in Beijing, Wuqing of Tianjin, Jing County of Hebei, Jincheng and Linfen of Shanxi, Wuhan of Hubei, and Chengdu of Sichuan.

Reference: 昔姓_昔姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

Several origins are recorded: a Zhou grandee was enfeoffed in Xi and took it as a surname; descendants of the ancient ruler of Xi included the Xi and Xi surnames; the Xi surname among the seven surnames of the Ba Banshun tribes in the Han period was also written Xi; the surname also occurred among the Tanguts, Yuan-period Mongols, and Goryeo people of Silla.

Reference: 昔姓_昔姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

The Xi surname appears in the Eastern Han work Fengsu Tong, section on surnames, and is also included in Zheng Tongzhi, section on clans. The Korean Samguk Sagi records a tradition explaining the adoption of Xi as a surname.

Reference: 昔(xī)姓-族谱网

Migration and Distribution

Migration And Distribution

The Xi surname is distributed in Ning County and Xifeng District of Qingyang, Gansu; Yili in Xinjiang; Fuping in Shaanxi; Zhengzhou; Yanji in Yanbian, Jilin; Lanzhou; Xi'an; and Seoul, Gyeongju, and North Gyeongsang Province in Korea.

Reference: 昔姓_昔姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Notable People

Historical Figures

Xi Deng served as magistrate of Wushang in the Han period; Xi Anren was from Ruzhou in the Tang period; Xi Feng passed the examination during the Dali era of the Tang; Xi Baochi served as magistrate of Wuqiang in the Yuan period and later as Dongwu du; the Ming period had Xi Xun, and the Qing period had Xi Guangzu and Xi Wentai.

Reference: 昔姓_昔姓的来源和历史_百家姓