Yi Surname

Surname Overview

A Rare Surname

The surname 以 is pronounced yǐ. It is relatively rare today and occurs among both Han and Hui people.

Reference: 以姓_以姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Origins

Origin of the Hui Branch

The Hui branch arose from a personal name: because Ibrahim was common among Hui Muslims, some adopted its initial sound and used the character 以 as a one-character surname.

Reference: 以姓_以姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Historical Records

Xing Yuan records Yi Tong of the Han dynasty and Yi Bochen of the Ming dynasty; the clan section of Qing Tongzhi records Yi Zhuangxing, who served as an instructor in Zuozhou.

Reference: 以姓_以姓的来源_以姓族谱_姓氏以姓的名人_以氏家谱_百家姓

Migration and Distribution

Founding Ancestor in Guilin

Yi Fuchen (1518–1603), courtesy name Jiantang, was a native of Weinan, Shaanxi, and a descendant of Ibrahim. Ordered south on a military campaign late in the Jiajing reign, he later guarded Yining in Guangxi, settled in Guilin, and became the founding ancestor of the Guilin Yi lineage.

Reference: 以姓-快懂百科

Modern Distribution

The Yi surname is found in Taiyuan, Shanxi; Yongfu, Pingle, Liujiang, Guilin, and Yining (now part of Lingui) in Guangxi; as well as Taipei, Kaohsiung, Yiwu in Zhejiang, and Beijing.

Reference: 以姓_以姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Additional Locations

The Yi surname also occurs in Liujiang, Guilin, and Yining (now part of Lingui) in Guangxi; Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan; Yiwu in Zhejiang; and Beijing.

Reference: 以姓_以姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Research Notes

Uncertain Han Origin

The surname first appears in Xing Yuan, but the origin of the Han branch is unknown.

Reference: 以姓_以姓的来源和历史_百家姓