Xie (; ) is a Chinese-language surname. lt is usually romanized as "Hsieh" in Taiwan. It is estimated that there are more than ten million people with this surname, the majority of whom live in Taiwan, Southern China, South East Asia, America, Europe and Africa. It is particularly common in Taiwan where it is the 13th most common surname in 2016. It is also very common in the east Asian diaspora which historically tended to have disproportionately emigrated out of southern China. A 2013 study found that Xie was the 23rd most common surname in China, with 0.79% of the population having this surname.Tanghe County and Taikang County of Henan Province: the origin of surname Xie
, en.hnta.cn. In 2019 it was again the 23rd most common surname in Mainland China. The majority of Xie are from south of China. It is the 34th name on the '' Hundred Family Surnames'' poem. The surname originated in two major branches: during the

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were two groups of mythological rulers in ancient north China. The Three Sovereigns supposedly lived long before The Five Emperors, who have been assigned dates in a period from 3162 BC to 2070 BC. Today ...

period, and near the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty. It was a prominent aristocratic clan in the Eastern Jin dynasty of China. The hometown of the Xie is Kaifeng, Henan Province.

Variations

The spelling of the same Chinese character using Wade–Giles romanization is Hsieh. The spelling "Hsieh" is most commonly used in Taiwan and in older romanizations, particularly by older generations of the Chinese and Taiwanese

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

, for instance in the United States. "Hsieh" has been often phonologically adapted to "Shay" in English-speaking society, for instance in the United States, as a result of

anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

. Other variations are pronounced "Sh'eh" and the spelling is sometimes modified as Shieh. The Cantonese spelling of the same Chinese character is Tse or Tze and the Taishanese spelling of the same Chinese character is Dea, Der, Dare, or Dear. The Teochew and Hokkien spelling of the same Chinese character is Chia, Shia, Cheah, or Sia. In Malaysia and Singapore, the name is most commonly Chia, although Cheah, Seah, Sia, Shia, Cha, Tse, Chay, etc. can also be found. During the Chinese diaspora, the region was administered by British Empire clerks, who knew little about Chinese dialects, often had to find their own romanizations. As a result, the variations are non-exhaustive. In the Philippines, the name is also spelled as Sese (which also means thank you in

Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary ...

, the language in Pampanga, where the first Xie settled), which is also a variation in the rest of the ASEAN region, Taiwan, and South Korea. In Indonesia, the name is also spelt as Tjhia or Tjia. In East Timor, as a legacy of Portuguese colonialism and

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

, Xie is also produced as Tchia, Tchea, Tsia, Tcha, and Tjea. The Vietnamese version is Tạ. In the United States, the name is sometimes spelled as Jair and Zia. Other variations of the surname include Shea and Shei.

Variation table

Origins and history

During the legendary

period, the Xie were believed to be the descendants of Yuyang, son of the Yellow Emperor. Yuyang's descendants founded ten states successively, the State of Xie (谢) first, and its occupants becoming the first Xie.Chinese surname history: Xie
peopledaily.com Retrieved 2011-07-11. For the purpose of reciprocating his mother's upbringing,

King Xuan of Zhou __NOTOC__ King Xuan of Zhou, personal name Ji Jing, was the eleventh king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Estimated dates of his reign are 827/25–782 BC. He worked to restore royal authority after the Gong He interregnum. He fought the 'Western ...

(r. 827 – 782 BCE) of the Western Zhou Dynasty granted the former State of Xie, in modern

Nanyang Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to: Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean) * Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea ;China * Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...

, Henan province, to his maternal uncle Shen Boxi, the Marquess of Shen, whose line claimed descent from the semi-mythological character Bo Yi. The people of Xie later adopted the name of the state as their surname. In the Eastern Jin dynasty, the Xie were among the cluster of noble clans who fled to the south in the wake of the fall of Chang'an, dominating the court thereafter.Clans in the Eastern Jin
chinaknowledge.de The legend has it that it derived from Yellow Emperor Tribe: almost vanished in “Xia, Shang, Zhou” Dynasty. The legend has it that it derived from Ren Clan in Xie State, descendant of Yellow Emperor, It takes the State name as Clan. Its land was manor of Shen Bo until Zhou Dynasty got perished, the descendant of Shen Bo took the State name as Clan. Derived from Yan Emperor Tribe: the Ancestor Shen Bo is generally acknowledged by contemporary Xie Clan. Derived from Jiang Clan, came from the inherited manor Xie for the descendant of Yan Emperor and Shen Bo, it takes the State name as Clan. The royal descendant of State Shen who takes the place name as Clan, called Xie Clan, its so-called Henan Xie Clan, known as Xie Clan Orthodox in history. Most of the contemporary Xie Clan people respects Shen Bo as the first ancestor. Changed into Zhile Clan. The litterateur Xie Yan in late Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty(? — 643), changed Xie into Zhi Le, his grandfather Xiao Zheng was emperor’s regular attendant of horse riding, restored to Xie after Sui Dynasty. The compound surname of Xieqiu, derived from Ji Clan, came from the manor Xie Shui which was granted by King Xuan for his concubine, it takes the densely populated place as the Clan. In Western Zhou Dynasty, the King Xuan of Ji Jing once granted his concubine with Xie Shui waterfront in the South-West of Luoyang. After the King Ping of Ji Yijiu transferred to Luoyang, these clan people also moved to Gongqiu (old Yunzhou, present-day Ningyang, Shandong ). In memory of the old house, the concubine’s son for King Xuan also call the newly granted Gongqiu as Xie Qiu, after that, some Clan people take the densely populated place Xie Qiu as Clan, called Xie Qiu Clan, there was Xie Qiu Zhang at Lu State in Spring and Autumn Period.

Famous people with the surname Xie

Xie clan of Chen commandery

* Xie An (謝安) (320–385), Statesman and Prime Minister of the Jin dynasty * Xie Daoyun (謝道韫) (340-399), Jin dynasty scholar, poet and debater * Xie Xuan (謝玄) (343-388), Duke of Kangle, Jin Dynasty general * Xie Lingyun (謝靈運) (385–433), Duke of Kangle, Jin Dynasty poet * Empress Xie Fanjing (謝梵境), Empress of the Liu Song Dynasty * Xie He (謝赫), Liu Song and

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succeede ...

writer, art historian and critic.

Politics and military

* Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), former

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

mayor, Premier of the Republic of China, and DPP's candidate for the 2008 ROC Presidency *

Hsieh Fa-dah Hsieh Fa-dah (; born 17 May 1950) is a Taiwanese diplomat. He was the ROC representative to Singapore in 2012-2015. Early life Hsieh obtained his master's degree in economics from National Chengchi University in 1977. See also * Ministry of ...

(謝發達) (born 1950), Vice Minister of Economic Affairs of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

(2006-2008) * Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星) (born 1950), Minister of

Atomic Energy Council The Atomic Energy Council (AEC; ) is an independent government agency of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) which is responsible for atomic safety, development and regulations. It also conducts research and development into atom ...

of the

* Hsieh Tung-min (謝東閔) (1908-2001), Kuomintang politician and first native of Taiwan to become Vice-President of the

(Taiwan) * Xie Fei (謝飛) (1913–2013), Chinese revolutionary, participant in the Long March and third wife of

Liu Shaoqi Liu Shaoqi ( ; 24 November 189812 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959, First Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1956 to 1966 and C ...

Xie Fuzhi Xie Fuzhi (; 26 September 1909 – 26 March 1972) was a Chinese Communist Party military commander, political commissar, and national security specialist. He was born in 1909 in Hong'an County, Hubei and died in Beijing in 1972. Xie was known fo ...

(谢富治) (1909-1972), Chinese Communist Party military commander and political commissar *

Xie Jinyuan Xie Jinyuan (Hsieh Chin-yuan; 26 April 1905 – 24 April 1941) was a Chinese Nationalist military officer famous for commanding the Defense of Sihang Warehouse during the Battle of Shanghai in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Biography Xie was a ...

(謝晉元), Commander of the

Defense of Sihang Warehouse The Defense of Sihang Warehouse () took place from October 26 to November 1, 1937, and marked the beginning of the end of the three-month Battle of Shanghai in the opening phase of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Defenders of the warehouse he ...

in the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...

of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War * You Xie (謝盛友), CSU-political leader, German journalist and author of Chinese origin *

Xie Jianshun Xie Jianshun (; born January 24, 1918) was a Taiwanese intersex man who gained considerable fame in 1953 when his variation was discovered by doctors of the Republic of China Armed Forces. He was considered by many to be the first Chinese "transse ...

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

intersex soldier *

Helen Zia Helen Zia is a Chinese-American journalist and activist for Asian American and LGBTQ rights. She is considered a key figure in the Asian American movement. Life and career Early childhood and education Zia was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1952 ...

, Asian-American journalist and activist * Chia Yong Yong (谢邕邕), Singaporean lawyer and Member of Parliament * Chia Thye Poh (谢太宝), Singaporean politician and former political prisoner * Steve Chia (谢镜丰) (born 1970), Singaporean politician

Criminals

Chia Teck Leng Chia Teck Leng (谢德龙 Xìe Délóng; born 11 October 1959) is a convicted white-collar criminal from Singapore, who was known for his four-year commercial fraud which involved the swindling of $117 million from four foreign major banks to fe ...

, Singaporean white-collar criminal *

Chia Kee Chen Dexmon Chua Yizhi (; – 28 December 2013) was a material analyst and Singaporean who was brutally murdered in Singapore by his former girlfriend's husband Chia Kee Chen (), who craved revenge on Chua for having an affair with his wife and thus ...

, Singaporean murderer

Entertainment and business

* Xie Jin (谢晋) (1923-2008), film director * Tse Kwan Ho, (謝君豪) Actor of film, stage and television * Xie Na, (谢娜) Host, singer, actress * Michael Tse (謝天華), Hong Kong actor
Anthony Hsieh
- Founder, Chairman & CEO of LoanDepot and later Founder of mello, also founded LoansDirect.com (sold to E-Trade) and HomeLoanCenter.com (merged with LendingTree) * Ming Hsieh (謝明), billionaire & founder of

Cogent Systems Cogent Systems, Inc. is a manufacturer of automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS). On January 20, 2006, the City of Pasadena (CA) announces Cogent Systems' impending relocation from South Pasadena to Pasadena. On August 30, 2010 3M ...

and Fulgent Genetics, namesake of University of Southern California's Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering *

Nicholas Tse Nicholas Tse Ting-fung (born 29 August 1980) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and chef.EEGmusic.EEGmusic." ''Nicolas Tse profile.'' Retrieved on 22 April 2008. As multi talented celebrity, he became a TV ch ...

(謝霆鋒), Hong Kong based singer and actor * Patrick Tse (謝賢), actor, producer, screenwriter and director in Hong Kong cinema. * Kenneth Tse (謝德骥), classical saxophone soloist * Kay Tse (謝安琪), Hong Kong singer * Xie Shaoguang (谢韶光), Singapore television actor * Fiona Xie (谢宛谕), Singaporean television actress *

Amber Chia Amber Chia (, pinyin: ''Xiè Lìpíng''; born 14 December 1981) is a Malaysian model, actress, TV host and brand ambassador. She was born in Teluk Intan, Malaysia but grew up in the town of Tawau in Sabah, East Malaysia. Chia started her own c ...

(谢麗萍), Malaysian model *

Beau Sia Beau Sia (, born 1976) is an American Poetry slam, slam poet. Life and career Sia was born in Ohio. He is of Chinese-Filipino descent. Raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sia discovered spoken word poetry on MTV as a teenager. When not particip ...

(謝福源), Chinese-American slam poet. * Tony Hsieh (), Zappos.com CEO *

Timothy Tau Hsieh Timothy Tau (born Timothy Tau Hsieh ( ); Chinese: 謝韜; pinyin: Xiè Tāo) is a Taiwanese-American writer, engineer, attorney, law professor and filmmaker. Tau won the 2011 ''Hyphen'' Asian American Writers' Workshop Short Story Contest for h ...

(謝韜), writer, filmmaker and law professor (his penname is

Timothy Tau Timothy Tau (born Timothy Tau Hsieh ( ); Chinese: 謝韜; pinyin: Xiè Tāo) is a Taiwanese-American writer, engineer, attorney, law professor and filmmaker. Tau won the 2011 ''Hyphen magazine, Hyphen'' Asian American Writers' Workshop Short St ...

) *

Jeffrey Cheah Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling (Hakka Chinese: ) (born 1945 or 1946) is the founder and current chairman of the Sunway Group, a Malaysian conglomerate (company), conglomerate operating in 12 industries with core businesses in property and construc ...

(謝富年), Founder and chairman of The Sunway Group of Companies in Malaysia. *

Dhanin Chearavanont Dhanin Chearavanont ( th, ธนินท์ เจียรวนนท์; ; born 19 April 1939), known in Chinese as Chia Kok Min (), is a Thai billionaire businessman, based in Bangkok. He is the senior chairman of CP Group, Thailand's largest ...

(谢国民), CEO of CP Group * Jeannie Hsieh, Taiwanese singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, and model * Janet Hsieh, Taiwanese American television host * Jade Seah (谢美玉) (born 1983), Singaporean model and actress * Nelson Chia (谢燊杰), Singaporean theater director *

Yvonne Chia Yvonne Chia (; born c. 1953) is a Malaysian businesswoman and banker. She was the first woman in Malaysia to be the chief executive officer of a bank. She was the CEO of Hong Leong Bank. She is currently the CEO of Shell Refining Company in Malays ...

(谢姚依雯) (born 1953), Malaysian CEO * Eric Chia (谢英福), Malaysian businessman *

Kimberly Chia Kimberly Chia () is a Singaporean actress. Early life and education Kimberly Chia graduated from Compassvale Secondary School in 2011. Whilst she had wanted to study at LASALLE College of the Arts upon graduating, having received lower than ...

(谢静仪), Singaporean actress *

Michelle Chia Michelle Chia (; born 19 September 1975) is a former Singaporean actress and television host. She was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1980 to 2012 but continues to film on an ad-hoc basis. Career Acting career Chia started he ...

(谢韵仪) (born 1975), Singaporean actress

Literature and art

* Xie Jin (謝縉) (1369–1415), Ming dynasty landscape painter and calligrapher * Dr. Cheah Thien Soong, Malaysian contemporary ink-painting artist *

Xie Jun Xie Jun (born October 30, 1970) is a Chinese chess grandmaster and is not just the first Chinese female but the first Asian female to become a chess grandmaster. She had two separate reigns as Women's World Chess Champion, from 1991 to 1996 ...

(谢军) (born 1970), two-time

Women's World Chess Champion The Women's World Chess Championship (WWCC) is played to determine the world champion in women's chess. Like the World Chess Championship, it is administered by FIDE. Unlike with most sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee, wh ...

Xie Zhe-Qing Hsieh Che-ching (; born 18 November 1973 in Hualien County, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese cultural/art history expert, broadcaster and travel writer. Hsieh Che-ching was born in Hualien, grew up and studied in Kaohsiung, and now lives in Taipei. He ...

(謝哲青) (born 1973), Taiwanese literature and history scholar, travel writer *

(謝韜) - novelist, short story writer, screenwriter & filmmaker (his penname is

) *

- author, activist, journalist & writer

Sports

Xie Limei Xie Limei (; born June 27, 1986) is a Chinese triple jumper. She won the silver medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships and gold medals at the 2005 Asian Championships and the 2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 ...

(谢荔梅), Chinese triple jumper *

Xie Siyi Xie Siyi (; born 28 March 1996) is a Chinese diver. He has won four gold medals at the World Championships and two Olympic gold medals. Career Xie's previous main event was 10m platform and his partner was Chen Aisen. However, due to a seriou ...

(谢思埸), diver from the People's Republic of China *

Xie Xingfang Xie Xingfang (born January 8, 1981) is a retired Chinese badminton player from Guangzhou, Guangdong. She is a former defending two-time world champion for women's singles, and former women's singles World No. 1. Her first big title was in girl ...

(谢杏芳), badminton player from the People's Republic of China *

Xie Zhongbo Xie Zhongbo (; born 22 May 1983) is a former Chinese badminton player from Hunan and raised in Sichuan. After retired from the international tournament, he works as badminton coach in Sichuan. Career A doubles specialist on the world circuit, ...

(谢中博), badminton player from the People's Republic of China *

Cheah Soon Kit Datuk Cheah Soon Kit (Current name: / Birth name: ) (born 9 January 1968) is a former Malaysian badminton player and coach. Career Known for his amazing jumping smash, Soon Kit was one of the top doubles stars in the world in his heyday. ...

(謝順吉) (born 1968), badminton player from Malaysia. 1986 Badminton Olympic Silver medalist * Cheah Liek Hou, para-badminton player from Malaysia. 2020 Para-Badminton Paralympic Gold medalist. *

Aaron Chia Aaron Chia Teng Fong (Chinese: 谢定峰, born 24 February 1997) is a Malaysian badminton player. He joined the national team since 2015. He represented Malaysia in the 2018 Thomas Cup. Chia and his partner Soh Wooi Yik were the All England O ...

(謝腾坊) (born 1997), badminton player from Malaysia. *

Hsieh Chia-hsien Hsieh Chia-hsien (; born 8 April 1976 in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese professional baseball player. Originally drafted by the Taiwan Major League's Taichung Agan in 1998, after TML's merger into CPBL he has been playing ...

(謝佳賢), professional baseball player from Taiwan. * Hsieh Su-wei, professional tennis player from Taiwan. * Hsieh Chia-Han (born 1988), pole vaulter from Taiwan. *

Chia Boon Leong Chia Boon Leong (, 1 January 1925 – 20 December 2022) was a Singaporean footballer who competed for China in the 1948 Summer Olympics and for Singapore at the 1954 Asian Games. He was known as "twinkletoes" in the football scene. Chia was bo ...

(谢文良) (1925–2022), Singaporean-Chinese footballer

Religion

* Xie Shiguang (1917–2005), Chinese Catholic Bishop * Nicholas Chia (谢益裕), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore * Mantak Chia (謝明德), Thai taoist master

Education

Shiuhpyng Shieh Shiuhpyng Shieh from the National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan was named Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional associ ...

, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan and Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Reliability * Daniel Tse, University of Macau * T.H. Tse, The University of Hong Kong *

Shieh You-hwa Shieh You-hwa () served as a member of the Asia-Pacific Scout Committee. In 1976, Shieh was awarded the 111th ''Bronze Wolf'', the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptio ...

* David Tse,

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

References

{{surname, Xie Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames