Yi Surname

Surname Overview

Yi, pronounced yì, is a rare surname with a population of about 100,000, ranked 432nd.

Reference: 炎黄羿氏网-羿姓网-羿氏族谱-羿氏宗亲联谊会

Origins

Origin

The Yi surname comes from the descendants of Hou Yi, the famous archer of the Xia-era state of Youqiong, who took the ancestor's name Yi as their surname. The Lu Shi records that Hou Yi's descendants included the Yi and Qiong surnames.

Reference: 炎黄羿氏网-羿姓网-羿氏族谱-羿氏宗亲联谊会

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

The Yi surname is included in the Clan Records of the Zheng Tongzhi and Xu Tongzhi. Zheng Qiao's note states that Hou Yi of Youqiong usurped the position of Xia ruler Xiang and later moved to Qiongshi.

Reference: 羿姓_羿姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies and Hall Name

The commanderies associated with the surname are Jiyang and Qi, and its hall name is Sumin Hall. Jiyang roughly corresponded to eastern Lankao in Henan and southern Dongming in Shandong; Qi was centered around present-day Linzi, Shandong.

Reference: 羿姓_羿姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Migration and Distribution

The Yi surname is mainly distributed in Liaoning, Hubei, Beijing, Shanxi, Anhui, Hebei, and Taiwan; it is also found in Wuhai in Inner Mongolia, Yutai and Dongping in Shandong, Hancheng in Shaanxi, and Yiyang and Zhijiang in Hunan.

Reference: 羿姓_羿姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Genealogy and Generation Names

Genealogical Generation Names

The nationwide Yi generation-name sequence is “Wen, Shi (Yun), Tian, Kai, Guo, Jia, Yong, Xing, Xue, Shou, Ke, Ding, Ben, Li, Dao, Cheng”; the Yi lineage in Suizhou, Hubei, has another sequence.

Reference: 炎黄羿氏网-羿姓网-羿氏族谱-羿氏宗亲联谊会