Surname Overview
Population and Ranking
The Yin surname has a population of about 10,000, is considered rare, and ranks 663rd.
Yin Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 113,794Yin / Yin
Origins
Origin from the Ji Surname
One branch of the Yin surname originated from the Ji surname. Gun, a son of Duke Mu of Zheng, used Zi Yin as his courtesy name, and his descendants adopted it as a surname; Yin Duan, a grandee of Zheng, was the grandson of Zi Yin.
Historical Records
Spring and Autumn Record
Yin Duan was a grandee of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period, and his name appears several times in the Zuo Zhuan.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commandery and Hall Name
The Yin surname's commandery is Fengyi Commandery, and its hall name is Yuwu Hall. Yuwu Hall was named after the Song official Yin Yingfei led troops to relieve the siege of Ezhou and lift the Yuan forces' encirclement.
Migration and Distribution
Migration of a Shanghai Branch
In the late Ming and early Qing period, descendants of a Yin branch originally from Anping, Hebei, moved to Gong'an in Hubei to escape warfare, then to Gaoqiao in Pudong, Jiading. They later settled in Loudang of Jiading and Wusong of Baoshan, and eventually moved into the urban area.
Notable People
Yin Guangren in the Qing Dynasty
In the Qing dynasty, Yin Guangren served as assistant prefect of Zhaoqing, Guangdong, and later became the first magistrate of Macao. He co-authored A Brief Account of Macao with Zhang Rulin, and the work was later selected for the Siku Quanshu.
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