Surname Overview
Pronunciation and Position in Baijiaxing
The surname Xiang is pronounced xiàng and ranks 396th in the Baijiaxing.
Xiang Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 151,862Xiang / Hsiang
Origins
Two Early Origins
One branch comes from the Si-surname Xia royal house and took the name of Xia Emperor Xiang as its surname. Another comes from the Zi-surname Shang royal house; after King He Dan Jia moved the capital, those who remained in Xiang adopted the place name as their surname.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestations
The Zheng Tongzhi: Shizulue records Xiang as one of the four surnames from Wuluo Mountain. The Xing shi kaolue records Xiang as an ancient place name, whose former city was west of present-day Anyang, Henan, and states that descendants of Xiangtu adopted his name as a surname.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Hall Names
The recorded commanderies are Xihe and Ba. The hall names are Xihe Hall, Ba Commandery Hall, and Fengde Hall. The first two take their names from commanderies, while Fengde Hall is associated with Xiang Yun's composition of De Lie Fu.
Migration and Distribution
Geographical Distribution
Xiang clans are recorded in Hubei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Yunnan, Hebei, Zhejiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Anhui, as well as the Netherlands.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Xiang Rong was a renowned fu writer of the Jin dynasty. Xiang Shifang was a Ming dynasty literary figure who became an official after passing the presented-scholar examination and was skilled in poetry and prose.
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