Han () is a common

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

. The spelling "Han" is based on

China's China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

system and so used throughout Mainland China. Spelling can vary from 'Hon' in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

-speaking areas to 'Hang' in

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

. It is the 15th name on the ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dy ...

'' poem. In 2003, Han (韩) is ranked 25th in China in terms of the number of bearers at around 8 million persons. In 2019 it was the 28th most common surname in Mainland China. Less common

surnames romanized as ''Han'' include: 寒 (Hán) and 汉/漢 (Hàn).

Four Chinese Origins of '韩'

From '姬' surname

' 姬' (Jì) is an ancient Chinese surname. It is an alternate surname of the

Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch or by his Chinese name Huangdi (), is a deity ('' shen'') in Chinese religion, one of the legendary Chinese sovereigns and culture heroes included among the mytho-historical Three Soverei ...

(Gongsun Xuanyuan) and the Zhou ruling family. A descendant of King Wu of Zhou, Wan, was given land in Hanyuan. Wan's descendants created the State of Han during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

. When the state was conquered by

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

in 230 BC, members of the ruling family adopted Han '韩' as their surname.

From the transcription of non-Han names

Non-Han ethnic groups tend to adopt Chinese surnames through the process known as

sinicization Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...

. During the reforms of Emperor Xiao Wen of Northern Wei, the

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...

surname 'Dahan', 大汗 (dà hàn) in Chinese, was changed to Han '韩' because the two names sound similar after 'Da' or '大' is dropped. Manchu clan names Hacihuri (), Hangiya (), Hanja (), Hanyan (), and Gilate () were changed to Han '韩'.

From given name to surname

The mythical

had a son Chang Yi (昌意), who had a son with the given name

Han Liu Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese ...

(韩流). Those who claimed to be Han Liu's descendants adopted Han as their surname.

By Imperial Appointment

The Salar Muslims voluntarily joined the Ming Dynasty. The Salar clan leaders each capitulated to the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

around 1370. The chief of the four upper clans around this time was Han Pao-yuan and Ming granted him office of centurion, it was at this time the people of his four clans took Han as their surname. The other chief Han Shan-pa of the four lower Salar clans got the same office from Ming, and his clans were the ones who took Ma as their surname. Ma and Han are the two most widespread names among the salar. Ma is a Salar surname for the same reason it is a common

Hui The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the n ...

surname, Ma substitutes for Muhammad. The upper four clans of the Salar assumed the surname Han and lived west of Xunhua. One of these Salar surnamed Han was Han Yimu, a Salar officer who served under General

Ma Bufang Ma Bufang (1903 – 31 July 1975) (, Xiao'erjing: ) was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general. General Ma started an industrialization pro ...

. He fought in the

Kuomintang Islamic Insurgency in China (1950–1958) The Kuomintang Islamic insurgency () was a continuation of the Chinese Civil War by Chinese Muslim nationalist Kuomintang Republic of China Army forces mainly in Northwest China, in the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, a ...

, leading Salars in a revolt in 1952 and 1958.

Han Youwen Han Youwen (; October 1912 – February 22, 1998) was an ethnic Salar Muslim General in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, born in Hualong Hui Autonomous County, Qinghai. His Muslim name was Muhammad Habibullah (). Caree ...

was another Salar General, who served in the Communist

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

Notable people with surname 韩/韓

Modern

* Han Dong (韩东/韓東), Chinese member of a South Korean girl group

DREAMCATCHER In some Native American and First Nations cultures, a dreamcatcher ( oj, asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word for 'spider') is a handmade willow hoop, on which is woven a net or web. It may also be decorated with sacred items such as ...

Han Dongfang Han Dongfang (韓東方, born 1963) is a Chinese advocate for workers' rights. Han was born in the impoverished village of Nanweiquan in Shanxi and first came to international prominence as a railway worker in Beijing. He helped set up the Be ...

(韩东方/韓東方), human rights activist *

Han Fuju Han Fuju or Han Fu-chü (; 1890 – 24 January 1938) was a Kuomintang general in the early 20th century. He rose up the ranks of the Guominjun clique in the Warlord era but then went over to the Kuomintang, and held the position of military go ...

(韩复榘/韓復榘), Kuomintang general *

Han Geng Han Geng (Chinese: 韩庚; Pinyin: Hán Gēng; ) (born February 9, 1984) is a Chinese Mandopop singer and actor. He started his career in 2001, when he was chosen by S.M. Entertainment to become a member of South Korean boy band Super Junior ...

(韩庚/韓庚), singer and actor * Han Hong (韩红/韓紅), singer and songwriter *

Han Kuo-yu Daniel Han Kuo-yu (; born 17 June 1957) is a Taiwanese politician. He was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1993 to 2002, representing a portion of Taipei County for three terms. He later became general manager of Taipei Agricultural Produc ...

(韩国瑜/韓國瑜), mayor of Kaohsiung * Han Lao Da (韩劳达/韓勞達), Singaporean playwright *

Han Meilin Han Meilin (; born December 26, 1936 in Jinan, ShandongHanban.edu.Hanban.edu" ''Profile of the artist.'' Retrieved on 2008-04-27.Xinhuanet." ''韓美林作品選(圖).'' Retrieved on 2008-04-27.) is a Chinese artist most recognized today for his ...

(韩美林/韓美林), artist *

Han Sai Por Han Sai Por (; born 19 July 1943) is a Singaporean sculptor. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), East Ham College of Art, Wolverhampton College of Art (now the School of Art and Design of the University of Wolverhampton) and ...

(韩少芙/韓少芙), Singaporean sculptor *

Han Shaogong Han Shaogong (; born January 1, 1953) is a Chinese novelist and fiction writer. Biography Han was born in Hunan, China. While relying on traditional Chinese culture, in particular Chinese mythology, folklore, Taoism and Buddhism as source of in ...

(韩少功/韓少功), novelist * Han Xiaopeng (韩晓鹏/韓曉鵬), freestyle skier *

Han Xianchu Han Xianchu (; 1913–1986) was a general of the Chinese Communist Party. Han participated in many military campaigns and battles such as Battle of Pingxingguan, Liaoshen Campaign, Pingjin Campaign, Hainan Campaign, and the Korean War. In 195 ...

(韩先楚/韓先楚), general in the People's Liberation Army *

Han Xinyun Han Xinyun (; ; born 30 May 1990), also known as Monica Han, is a Chinese professional tennis player. Han has won three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Tour. She also has won nine singles and ...

(韩馨蕴/韓馨蘊), tennis player *

(韩有文/韓有文), general in the National Revolutionary Army *

Han Zheng Han Zheng (; born 22 April 1954) is a Chinese politician serving as the Senior Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, State Council. He has also been leader of the Ce ...

(韩正/韓正), mayor of Shanghai *

Hon Sui Sen Benedict Hon Sui Sen (; 16 April 1916 – 14 October 1983) was a Singaporean politician who served as Minister for Finance between 1970 and 1983. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hav ...

(韩瑞生/韓瑞生), Singaporean politician * Residents of the

Cuandixia Cuandixia (), also spelled Chuandixia (), is a historic village dating from the Ming dynasty located in Zhaitang (), Mentougou District in Beijing, China. It is a popular tourist attraction known for its well preserved courtyard homes. Overview ...

village

Pre-Modern

Han Dang Han Dang (died 227), courtesy name Yigong, was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under Sun Quan's predecessors – Sun Jian (Su ...

(韩当/韓當), general of the Three Kingdoms period *

Han Fei Han Fei (233), also known as Han Feizi or Han Fei Zi, was a Chinese philosopher or statesman of the "Legalist" (Fajia) school during the Warring States period, and a prince of the state of Han. Han Fei is often considered to be the greatest r ...

(韩非/韓非), philosopher of the Warring States period * Han Fu (韩馥/韓馥), warlord of the Eastern Han dynasty *

Han Gan Han Gan ( Chinese: 韩干/韓幹) (c. 706–783) was a Chinese painter during the Tang Dynasty. He came from a poor family in either Chang'an, modern-day Xi'an, Shaanxi; Lantian, modern-day Shaanxi; or Daliang, modern-day Kaifeng, Henan. As ...

(韩干/韓幹), painter of the Tang dynasty *

Han Guang Han Guang (died 206 BC) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Liaodong () of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties of China. Han Guang was initially a minor official serving in the ...

(韩广/韓廣), ruler of the Kingdom of Liaodong * Han Hong (韩弘/韓弘), general and statesman of the Tang dynasty *

Han Hao Han Hao ( 190s–215), courtesy name Yuansi, he gained a reputation for loyalty and valor, comparable to Shi Huan. A military officer serving under the warlords Wang Kuang, Yuan Shu and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China, he b ...

(韩浩/韓浩), general of the Eastern Han dynasty *

Han Shantong Han Shantong ({{zh, t=韓山童, p=Hán Shāntóng; died 1351), born in Luancheng, Hebei, was one of the early leaders of the Red Turban Rebellions. He claimed to be the descendant of Emperor Huizong of Song (1082–1135), the penultimate empero ...

(韩山童/韓山童), rebel leader of the Yuan dynasty *

Han Shizhong Han Shizhong () (1089–1151) was a Chinese military general, poet, and politician of the late Northern Song Dynasty and the early Southern Song Dynasty. He dedicated his whole life to serving the Song Dynasty, and performed many legendary de ...

(韩世忠/韓世忠), general of the Southern Song dynasty *

Han Sui Han Sui () (140s - June or July 215According to Cao Cao's biography in ''Sanguozhi'', Han Sui was killed in the 5th month of the 20th year of the ''Jian'an'' era of Liu Xie's reign. This corresponds to 15 June to 13 July 215 on the Julian calend ...

(韓遂), general and warlord of the Eastern Han dynasty *

Han Tuozhou Han Tuozhou (; November 6, 1152 – November 24, 1207) was a Chinese politician of the Southern Song dynasty, who served as a chancellor under Emperor Ningzong. He was responsible for Southern Song efforts to recover territories lost in north ...

(韩侂胄/韓侂胄), statesman of the Southern Song dynasty *

Han Xiangzi Han Xiangzi, courtesy name Qingfu or Beizhu, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. He studied Taoist magical arts under the tutelage of Lü Dongbin, another of the Eight Immortals. Han Xiangzi is ...

(韩湘子/韓湘子), one of the Eight Immortals *

Han Xin Han Xin (; 231/230–196 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty. Han Xin was named as one of the "Three Heroes of the ea ...

(韩信/韓信), general of the Western Han dynasty *

King Xin of Han Xin, King of Hán (died 196 BC), also known as Hán Xin and as Hán Wang Xin, was a descendant of the royal family of the state of Hán during the Warring States period of China. After the establishment of the Han dynasty, Emperor Gaozu gran ...

(韩王信/韓王信), a vassal ruler under Emperor Gaozu of Han *

Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...

(韩愈/韓愈), poet and philosopher of the Tang dynasty * Concubine Han- a Korean concubine of the Chinese

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

Hongwu Hongwu () (23 January 1368 – 5 February 1399) was the era name of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty of China. Hongwu was also the Ming dynasty's first era name. Comparison table Other eras contemporaneous with Hongwu * C ...

emperor

References

External links

* {{surname, Han Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames