Hui is a surname. It is the Hanyu Pinyin spelling of two Chinese surnames ( and ), as well as a variant spelling of two others ( Xǔ and Fèi).

Origins

Surname Huì (惠)

The

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanj ...

used to write this surname means "favour" or "benefit". It is the 204th surname in the traditional poem ''

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 ...

''. The ''Mingxian Shizu Yanxing Leigao'' section of the '' Siku Quanshu'' encyclopedia states that this surname was adopted from the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

King Hui of Zhou King Hui of Zhou (), personal name Ji Lang, was the seventeenth king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the fifth of Eastern Zhou.''Records of the Grand Historian'' by Sima Qian Family Queens: * Queen Chen () * Queen Hui of Zhou, of the Gui clan of ...

(676–651 BC). The descendants who adopted the surname settled in

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

and

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

provinces. During the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

, some Manchu people also adopted this surname. In Sino-Korean pronunciation, this character is read Hye. It is not used as a surname in modern Korea, but can be found as an element of

Korean given name A Korean name (Hangul: ; Hanja: ) consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both South Korea and North Korea. In the Korean language, ''ireum'' or ''seongmyeong'' usually refers to the family name (''seo ...

s. In Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation, it is read Huệ.

Surname Huí (回)

The Chinese character used to write this surname means "return". It does not appear in ''Hundred Family Surnames''. Sources published during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

, including the '' Guangyun'' dictionary, ''Xingjie'', the section "Given Names Used as Surnames" () in the '' Tongzhi'' encyclopedia, and ', state three origins for this surname: # It was originally the personal name of Fang Hui (), an official who served under

Emperor Yao Emperor Yao (; traditionally c. 2356 – 2255 BCE) was a legendary Chinese ruler, according to various sources, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Ancestry and early life Yao's ancestral name is Yi Qi () or Qi (), clan name i ...

# It was originally the personal name of Wu Hui (), a son of the legendary

Zhurong Zhurong (), also known as Chongli (), is an important personage in Chinese mythology and Chinese folk religion. According to the '' Huainanzi'' and the philosophical texts of Mozi and his followers, Zhurong is a god of fire and of the south. Th ...

. Wu Hui's son Sun later took Hui as his surname. # It is found as a surname among the Hui people (whose ethnonym is written with the same character). However, the sources do not explain its origin. In Sino-Korean pronunciation, this character is read Hoe. It is not used as a surname in modern Korea, and only rarely as an element of given names. In Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation, it is read Hồi.

Other

Hui may be the spelling of two other Chinese surnames, based on their pronunciation in different

varieties of Chinese Chinese, also known as Sinitic, is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of hundreds of local varieties, many of which are not mutually intelligible. Variation is particularly strong in the more mountainous southeast of ma ...

; they are listed below by their spelling in Hanyu Pinyin, which reflects the

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

pronunciation: * Xǔ (), spelled Hui based on its

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 ar ...

pronunciation () * Fèi (), spelled Hui based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects, e.g. Teochew (

Peng'im (: ( Teochew) (Swatow), : or , : or ) is a Teochew dialect romanisation system as a part of Guangdong Romanisation published by Guangdong Provincial Education Department in 1960. Tone of this system is based on Swatow dialect. The system ...

: ; IPA: )

Statistics

According to reports in 2014, the surname Huì () meaning "favour" was the 262nd-most-common surname in

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

. It had roughly 298,000 bearers, primarily in

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

, Shandong, and

. According to statistics cited by

Patrick Hanks Patrick Hanks (born 24 March 1940) is an English lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. He has edited dictionaries of general language, as well as dictionaries of personal names. Background Hanks was educated at Ardingly College, ...

, there were 581 people on the island of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

and 34 on the island of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

with the surname Hui as of 2011. There were no people with the surname on the island of Great Britain in 1881. The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

found 5,768 people with the surname Hui, making it the 5,966th-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase from 5,282 (6,003rd-most-common) in the 2000 Census. In both censuses, more than nine-tenths of the bearers of the surname identified as

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

. It was the 228th-most-common surname among respondents to the 2000 Census who identified as Asian.

People

Surname Huì (惠)

Hui Shi Hui Shi (; 370–310 BCE), or Huizi (; "Master Hui"), was a Chinese philosopher during the Warring States period. He was a representative of the School of Names (Logicians), and is famous for ten paradoxes about the relativity of time and space, ...

(; 370–310 BCE), Chinese philosopher *

Hui Yuyu Hui Yuyu () (1909 – July 1989) was a People's Republic of China politician. He was the older brother of Zhou Hui, Communist Party of China Committee Secretary of Hunan and Inner Mongolia. He was born in Guannan County, Jiangsu Province. He was t ...

(; 1909–1989), Chinese politician, delegate to the first through third National People's Congresses *

Kara Hui Kara Wai Ying-hung BBS (; born 3 February 1960) is a Hong Kong actress best known internationally for her roles in wuxia films produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s and 1980s. Wai has since portrayed a wide range of roles on screen ...

(; born 1960), Hong Kong actress * Hui Jun (; born 1963), Chinese table tennis player * Cang Hui (; born 1977), Chinese mathematician in South Africa * Hui Zicheng (; born 1989), Chinese sports shooter * Hui Jiakang (; born 1989), Chinese football midfielder *

Hui Ruoqi Hui Ruoqi (; born 4 March 1991) is a former Chinese volleyball player. She is the Outside Hitter and the fifteenth Captain of China women's national volleyball team, and plays for Jiangsu. She retired in 2018. Early life On March 4, 1991, Hui ...

(; born 1991), Chinese volleyball player *

Hui Xirui Hui Xirui (, born 4 January 1994) is a Chinese female badminton player. Achievements Asia Junior Championships ''Girls' Singles'' BWF Grand Prix The BWF Grand Prix has two level such as Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It is a series of ...

(; born 1994), Chinese badminton player

Surname Huí (回)

Hui Liangyu Hui Liangyu (, Xiao'erjing: ; born October 1944) was a Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China in charge of agriculture. Biography Hui was born in Yushu, Jilin Province. He is a member of the Hui ethnic minority. Starting in 1969, h ...

(; born 1944), Chinese politician, vice-premier from 2003 to 2013

Surname Xǔ (許)

Michael Hui Michael Hui Koon-man (born ; 3 September 1942) (also known as Mr Boo!) is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, scriptwriter and director. He is the eldest of the four Hui brothers (together with Ricky, Sam, and Stanley) who were prominent figures ...

(; born 1942), Hong Kong comedian *

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...

(; born 1947), Hong Kong film director *

Rafael Hui Rafael Hui Si-yan (born 8 February 1948) is a former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and career civil servant. Hui has been dubbed "Old Master Hui" () and "Fat Dragon" (). Hui was appointed as a Justice of the Peace on 1986 an ...

(; born 1948), Hong Kong government official, Chief Secretary for Administration (2005–2007) *

Sam Hui Samuel Hui Koon-kit (born 6 September 1948), usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He is credited with popularising Cantopop both via the infusion of Western-style music and his usage of vernacular Cantone ...

(; born 1948), Hong Kong singer *

Hui Shiu-hung Benz Hui Shiu-hung (born 4 November 1948) is a Hong Kong film and TV actor. Hui is credited with over 165 films. Hui is a currently a TV actor with TVB. Early life and family Hui comes from an influential family in Canton. His great-grandfather ...

(; born 1948), Hong Kong actor *

Herman Hui Hui Chung-shing ( Chinese: 許宗盛), BBS, MH, JP (born 1951), anglicised as Herman Hui, is a former chairman of the World Scout Committee, the executive board for the World Organization of the Scout Movement from 2005 to 2008. He is a Hong ...

(; born 1951), Hong Kong businessman and Scout Movement member * Hui Lin Chit (; born ), Chinese businessman who co-founded Hengan International * Lap Shun Hui (; born 1951), Chinese-born American technology entrepreneur * Hui So Hung (; born 1958), Hong Kong table tennis player *

Raman Hui Raman Hui Shing-Ngai (Traditional Chinese: 許誠毅, born 4 July 1963) is a Hong Kong animator, film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films ''Monster Hunt'' and ''Monster Hunt 2''. Early life Hui was born in Ho ...

(; born 1963), Hong Kong animator and film director * Steve Hui Chun-tak (; born 1963), Hong Kong Police Force spokesman *

Vico Hui Vico Hui Ho Luek (born ) is a Hong Kong-based businessman. Until June/July 2012 he was the chairman of the English football club Birmingham City F.C. and chief executive officer of Birmingham International Holdings Birmingham Sports Holdings ...

(; born ), Hong Kong businessman and former Birmingham City F.C. chairman *

Andy Hui Andy Hui Chi-on (born 12 August 1967) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Hui is considered one of the most successful Hong Kong singers, with an extensive list of Cantonese and Mandarin hits to his credit. Early life Hui's mother is Vietnamese ...

(; born 1967), Hong Kong singer * Hui Chak Bor (; born 1968), Hong Kong cyclist *

Florence Hui Florence Hui Hiu-fai, SBS (; 6 July 1974 – 3 December 2018) was one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong. She served as the Undersecretary for Home Affairs from 2008 to 2017. Education Hui held a Bachelor degree in ...

(; born 1974), Hong Kong government official, Undersecretary for Home Affairs (2008–2017) * Christopher Hui (; born 1976), Hong Kong government official, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury since 2020 * John Hui (tennis) (; born 1978), Hong Kong tennis player *

Ted Hui Ted Hui Chi-fung ( zh, t=許智峯; born 8 June 1982) is a Hong Kong politician. He formerly represented the Chung Wan constituency in the Central and Western District Council, and formerly he was the Legislative Councillor for the Hong Kong ...

(; born 1982), Hong Kong Democratic Party politician * Alfred Hui (; born 1988), Hong Kong singer * Jack Hui (; born 1988), Hong Kong mathematics student * Hui Ka Lok (; born 1994), Hong Kong football winger * Hui Wang Fung (; born 1994), Hong Kong football forward * Hui Chiu-yin (), Hong Kong businessman, director of First Ferry

Other or unknown

* Ka Kwong Hui (1922–2003), Chinese-born American potter and ceramist * Roger Hui (1953–2021), Hong Kong-born Canadian computer scientist * Hui Cheong (born 1956), Hong Kong sprint canoer *

Melissa Hui Melissa Hui is a Chinese-Canadian composer and pianist. She was born in 1966 in Hong Kong and currently resides in Montreal where she has been a faculty member at McGill University since 2010. Notable works by this artist include ''and blue sparks ...

(born 1966), Hong Kong-born Canadian composer * Vatau Hui (born 1970), Tongan politician * Alexandra Hui (born 1980), American historian of science and sound * Phil Hui (born 1987), American poker player * Justin Hui (born 1998), Singaporean footballer

References

{{surname Chinese-language surnames Multiple Chinese surnames