Chinese surname No. 27 Yan2 [ÄY]


Yan2 means : (air or water) tight, stern, strict, rigorous, severe, austere (phonetic, from cliff ÉD and courage ´±)
Surname Yan2 orginated during the Han Dynasty.
Variations include Yen(Wade-Giles), Yim(Cantonese) .

Alphabetical Index of Chinese Surnames
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
About | the Big5 [¦Ê®a©m Hundred Families Surname Poem | Feedback

The history of surname Yan2 [ÄY]

For some information about this, see In Search of your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames, paragraph 583.

The history of my surname can be traced back to King Xuanxu of Chu state during the Warring States period. Back then it was known as Zhuang, Xuanxu's posthumous name. During the Han dynasty, to avoid a taboo as one of the emperor's names was also Zhuang, it was changed to Yan (Yim in Cantonese). As such Zhuangs and Yans are of the same clan, as some changed their surname back to Zhuang at a later date in history. Those who bear either surname are of royal descent, the progeny of King Xuanxu of Chu state.
...Yim Kai Mun
(Top)


Counter
Visitors since 1/4/98
http://geocities.datacellar.net/chinesesurname/s027.html
Copyright 1996-2006 Ronald Eng Young
[¥îÄv°¶], last modified 23 Feb 2006
Please send comments to chinesesurname @ geocities . com
1