Sun is a transliteration of a common Chinese surname (simplified Chinese: 孙; traditional Chinese: 孫; pinyin: Sūn). It is the third name listed in 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 ...

classic text ''

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 ...

''. Other transliterations include Suen (Hong Kong and regions with Cantonese-speaking populations), Sen (

Amoy dialect The Amoy dialect or Xiamen dialect (), also known as Amoynese, Amoy Hokkien, Xiamenese or Xiamen Hokkien, is a dialect of Hokkien spoken in the city of Xiamen (historically known as "Amoy") and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the souther ...

), Sng (

Teochew dialect Teochew or Chaozhou (, , , Teochew endonym: , Shantou dialect: ) is a dialect of Chaoshan Min, a Southern Min language, that is spoken by the Teochew people in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong and by their diaspora around the world. ...

Tôn Tôn (孙) ( Anglicised as Ton) is a Vietnamese surname. It is transliterated as Sun in Chinese and Son in Korean. Notable people *Tôn Đức Thắng (1888–1980), first President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam * Tôn Hiếu Anh (), Vi ...

(

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

Son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

(

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

), Soon (regions with

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

-speaking populations), Soon/Suan/-son/-zon (

Chinese Filipino Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin Chinese in the Philippines, Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mo ...

in the Philippines), and Swen. In 2019, Sun was the twelfth most common surname in Mainland China. A 2013 study found it to be the 12th most common name as well, shared by 18,300,000 people or 1.38% of the population, with the province with the most being Shandong. Note that in Hong Kong and regions with Cantonese-speaking populations, the surname Xin (辛) is also transliterated as Sun.

Origins

*The name Sunshu Ao (孫叔敖) comes from the surname Wei (蔿), from Yuan (薳) in Chu ***Sun Shu (孫叔), the style name of Sunshu Ao, an official in Chu during the Spring and Autumn period His descendants part of the style mame nas their surname.The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland * Sun Wanrong (孫萬榮) came from the Khitan people of

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan language, Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that exi ...

*Hui Sun (惠孫), style name of the son of Wei Wu Gong Hui Sun’s grandson later inherited 孫 as his surname. *Sun Shu (孫書), an official in the Qi, was given the name by

Duke Jing of Qi Duke Jing of Qi (; died 490 BC) was ruler of the State of Qi from 547 to 490 BC. Qi was a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Chujiu (呂杵臼), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Jing ...

because of his contributions in the war between the state of Qi and the state of Lü. Notable descendants through this line include

Sun Tzu Sun Tzu ( ; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of '' The ...

* People with the surname Xun (荀). changed it to 孫 during the reign of Liu Xun (劉恂), also known as

Emperor Xuan of Han Emperor Xuan of Han (Liu Xun 劉詢, né Liu Bingyi 劉病已; born 91 BC – 10 January 48 BC) was the tenth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty, reigning from 74 to 48 BC, and was one of the only four Western Han emperors to receive a temple na ...

, because it had the same pronunciation as the given name of the emperor (in

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 1250 ...

). After the death of Han Xuan Di, some people kept the surname, while others changed it back to their original.

Meanings of ''Sun'' (孙)

* Grandson * A person of the same generation as the grandson, ''i.e.''; cousin

Notable people

Historical figures (in chronological order)

(544 – 496 BC) – a militarist in the Spring and Autumn period, the author of ''

The Art of War ''The Art of War'' () is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is com ...

''. *Sun Yang ( Bole) – a horse physiognomer of the Spring and Autumn period. *

Sun Bin Sun Bin (died 316 BC) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and writer who lived during the Warring States period of Chinese history. A supposed descendant of Sun Tzu, Sun was tutored in military strategy by the hermit Guiguzi. He w ...

(a.k.a. Sun Tzu, Sunzi, died 316 BC) – a militarist in the

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

and descendant of Sun Tzu. * Sun Cheng (died 132) *Sun Jing (孫敬) – 2nd-century native of Hsin-tu in Chihli, who was such an ardent student that at night he always tied his hair to a beam overhead, to prevent himself from dozing over his books. He also habitually bolted the door of his study to keep out intruders.Herbert Allen Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, p. 688 (1898). * Sun Jian (155–191),

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

military general and warlord * Sun Ce (175–200), Han dynasty warlord * Sun Quan (182–252), founding emperor of the Eastern Wu state in the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period *

Sun Liang Sun Liang (245–260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of ...

(243–260), second emperor of Eastern Wu *

Sun Xiu Sun Xiu (235 – 3 September 264), courtesy name Zilie, formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Early life Sun Xiu was born in 235 to Wu's founding emper ...

(235–264), third emperor of Eastern Wu *

Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...

(242–284), fourth and last emperor of Eastern Wu *

Lady Sun Lady Sun (180s - 211), also known as Sun Ren in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' and Sun Shangxiang in Chinese opera and contemporary culture, was a Chinese noblewoman who lived during the late Eastern Han dyna ...

, Sun Jian's daughter ** ''see also

Eastern Wu family trees This article contains the family trees of members of the Sun clan, who ruled the state of Eastern Wu (229–280), in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280), in China. Sun Jian, Sun Qiang and Sun Jing Sun Jian was an alleged descendant o ...

'' * Sun Shao (163–225), first chancellor of the Eastern Wu state in the Three Kingdoms period * Sun Qian, official serving under the Han dynasty warlord

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...

*Sun Kang (孫康; 4th century) – A native of Luoyang, who in his youth was so poor that he could not afford a lamp to read by. He therefore studied in winter by light reflected from the snow, and ultimately rose to be a Censor. * Sun Sheng (4th century) – a Chinese historian. *

(a.k.a. Sunzi; ''fl.'' 4th century) – mathematician famous for the Chinese remainder theorem. * Sun Chuo (320–377) – a poet of the

Six Dynasties poetry Six Dynasties poetry refers to those types or styles of poetry particularly associated with the Six Dynasties era of China (220 CE – 589 CE). This poetry reflects one of the poetry world's more important flowerings, as well as being a u ...

tradition. *

Sun En Sun En (孫恩; died April or May 402) courtesy name Linxiu (灵秀), was a native of Langya (in modern Shandong) who rebelled against the Eastern Jin dynasty. Life A member of Sun Xiu's clan, he joined his uncle Sun Tai (孫泰), who was regarde ...

(died 402) – leader of a rebellion against the Jin dynasty. * Sun Simiao (581–682)- a traditional Chinese medicine physician of the Sui and Tang dynasties. * Sun Yuanheng (died 696) *Sun Shi (962–1033) – a native of Po-p'ing in Shandong, who graduated as ''

jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referr ...

'' after nine attempts and entered the public service, rising to high office under the Emperor Cheu Tseung. In 1008 there was a pretended revelation from God in the form of a letter, which the Emperor and his Court regarded with profound awe. But Sun Shi said, "I have heard that God does not speak; how then should He write a letter?"Herbert Allen Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, p. 686 (1898). *Sun Changru (孫長孺) – a scholar of the

, noted for his vast collection of books, which earned for him the sobriquet of Library Sun. In 1015 he was made

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

of Xunzhou in Guangxi, and subsequently rose to an important office in the household of the Heir Apparent. * Sun Fang (12th century) – An imperial physician, who called himself the Hermit of the Four Stops. He explained this to mean that when he had taken his fill of plain food, he stopped; when he had put on enough plain clothes to keep himself warm, he stopped; when he had realized a fair proportion of his wishes, he stopped; and that after growing old, free from covetousness or envy, he would also be prepared to stop. * Sun Qifeng (1583–1675) – a Confucian scholar. * Sun Chuanting (1593–1643) – a

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 ...

Field Marshal. *Sun Sike (died 1700) – a Chinese Bannerman, noted for his successes against the Oelots, against the Shensi rebels in 1675–79, and against Galdan. He rose to be a general, and was ennobled as Baron.

Military and government

Sun Kaihua Sun Kaihua (died 1893) was a military student of Hunan, who joined Bao Chao's army and fought against the Taiping and Nien rebels, during which time he was wounded. He was rapidly promoted until he became a Brigade General at Zhangzhou in Fujian ...

(died 1893) – a Chinese general in the

Battle of Tamsui The Battle of Tamsui, Danshui, or Hobe (2–8 October 1884) was a significant French defeat by the Qing dynasty at Tamsui on Taiwan during the Keelung Campaign of the Sino-French War. Background The battle of Tamsui was part of the Keelu ...

. * Sun Jiagan (1683–1753) – a

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 ...

Chinese official. * Sun Shiyi (1720–1796) – a Chinese Viceroy. *Sun Zhizu – a native of Hangzhou, who graduated as ''

'' in 1766, and served as a Censor. Author of a work on the discrepancies in the various editions of the famous work by

Xiao Tong Xiao Tong (, September/October 501 – 30 May 531), courtesy name Deshi (), formally Crown Prince Zhaoming (昭明太子, literally "Accomplished and Understanding Crown Prince"), was a Crown Prince of the Chinese Liang Dynasty, posthumousl ...

; and also of a hostile criticism on the ''

Kongzi Jiayu The ''Kongzi Jiayu'' (), translated as ''The School Sayings of Confucius'' or ''Family Sayings of Confucius'', is a collection of sayings of Confucius (Kongzi), written as a supplement to the ''Analects'' (''Lunyu''). A book by the title had exi ...

''. *Sun Xingyan (1752–1818) – A native of

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 ...

. From 1795 to 1811 he served with distinction in Shantung, where his honesty was often distasteful to his superiors. He published editions of several Classics and topographies he wrote many classical and antiquarian works; and he discovered the graves of

Min Sun Min Sun (536 – BC), also known by his courtesy name Ziqian, was one of the most prominent disciples of Confucius. Confucius considered Min his second best disciple after Yan Hui, and commended him for his filial piety. His legend is included ...

, Tantai Mieming, and Zeng Dian, three of the disciples of Confucius.Herbert Allen Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, p. 691 (1898). * Sun Yuting (1752–1834) – a Chinese governor. * Sun Jiagu – a

envoy. * Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) – the founder of the Republic of China. *

Sun Chuanfang Sun Chuanfang () (April 17, 1885 – November 13, 1935) a.k.a. the "Nanking Warlord" or leader of the "League of Five Provinces" was a Zhili clique warlord and protégé of the "Jade Marshal" Wu Peifu (1874–1939). Biography Sun Chuanfang ...

(1885–1935) – a Zhili clique warlord. * Sun Lih-chyun – spokesperson of Executive Yuan of the Republic of China. *

Sun Li-jen Sun Li-jen (; December 8, 1900November 19, 1990) was a Chinese Nationalist (KMT) general, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute, best known for his leadership in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. His military achiev ...

(1900–1990) – a general of the Republic of China who fought in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, World War II and the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

. * Sun Ta-chuan – Vice President of

Control Yuan The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Prior to constitutional reforms in the 1990s, the Control Yuan, along with National Assembly (electoral college) and the Legislati ...

of the Republic of China. * Sun Te-hsiung – Minister of the

Research, Development and Evaluation Commission The Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC; ) was a branch of the Executive Yuan of the Taiwan (ROC). The commission was responsible for policy research and development, policy planning, policy supervision and evaluation, government ...

of the Republic of China (1991–1994). * Sun Zhengcai (born 1963) – a disgraced Communist Party politician who served as party secretary of Chongqing

Other notable people

* Jonny Sun, a Canadian author and illustrator *

Michael Suen Michael Suen Ming-yeung GBS CBE; born 7 April 1944) who served as Acting Chief Secretary for Administration in 2005 and 2012 and as Secretary for Education of Hong Kong from 2007 to 2012. Born in Chongqing in 1944, his family fled the then ...

, the Secretary for Education of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

Sun Honglei Sun Honglei (; born 16 August 1970) is a Chinese actor. Early life Sun was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on 16 August 1970. Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the ...

, Chinese Actor (Hong Kong) starring in numerous films and TV dramas *

Sun Jihai Sun Jihai (; ; born 30 September 1977) is a Chinese former footballer who played in the English Premier League. He is one of the most well-known footballers in China. He was the first East Asian footballer to score in the Premier League when h ...

, a football player from People's Republic of China * Sun Mingming (born 1983), Chinese basketball player * Sun Qinglin (born 1974), Chinese artists, member of Yangjiang Group artist collective * Sun Nan, a Chinese male singer *

Stefanie Sun Stefanie Sun (, born 23 July 1978) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. In 2000, she released her debut album, '' Yan Zi'', which won her a Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist. In 2004, she released her eighth studio album, '' Stefanie'', ...

, a

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

an singer-songwriter * Sun Wei, a Japanese fashion model (of Chinese origin) * Sun Wen, a football player from the

People's Republic of China 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 ...

* Sun Yang, a world champion swimmer from the People's Republic of China * Sun Yue (basketball), an NBA basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers * Sun Zehao (born 1995), an ice hockey goaltender * Jónas Sen, an Icelandic/Chinese music critic, composer and pianist (of Chinese origin) *

Masayoshi Son Masayoshi Son ( ja, 孫正義, translit=Son Masayoshi, ko, 손정의, translit=Son Jeong-ui) (born 11 August 1957) is a Korean-Japanese billionaire technology entrepreneur, investor, financier and philanthropist. A 3rd generation "Zainichi Kore ...

, A Japanese businessman and the founder and current chief executive officer of

SoftBank is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the Vi ...

, the chief executive officer of

SoftBank Mobile is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the Vi ...

, and current chairman of

Sprint Corporation Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before it merged with T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. The ...

. * Nike Sun, mathematician * Dong Sun, a Chinese Scientist and the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of

* Chris Sun, the

Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Secretary for Labour and Welfare () of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for labour and social welfare policy in Hong Kong. The position was created in 2007 to replace portions of the previous portfolio of Secretary for Economic Develo ...

* Seraph Sun, a

Singaporean Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Ind ...

actress *

Sun Xueling Sun Xueling ( zh, s=孙雪玲, p=Sūn Xuělíng; born 1979) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister of State for Social and Family Development since 2020 and Minister of State for Home Affairs since 2022. She previously ser ...

, a

politician *

Fei Fei Sun Sun Feifei (; born March 20, 1989), commonly known as Fei Fei Sun, is a Chinese model based in New York City. She is ranked as the New Supers by Models.com. Top casting director Ashley Brokaw proclaimed Fei Fei as "an exceptional beauty " , co ...

, a Chinese supermodel * Sun Yiwen, Chinese left-handed

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contain ...

fencer * Sun Zhenni, Chinese singer, actress, and member of Chinese idol group

SNH48 SNH48 is a Chinese idol girl group based in Shanghai. Following AKB48's creator Yasushi Akimoto's concept of "idols you can meet", the group features dozens of female members around the age of 20, who perform regularly in the group's own thea ...

Fictional people

* Sun Wukong – the Monkey-King protagonist of ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popul ...

'' * Son Goku – main character in the '' Dragon Ball'' series loosely based on Sun Wukong. *

Grandpa Son Gohan ''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, '' Dr. Slump''. While many of the ch ...

– adoptive grandfather of Son Goku from ''Dragon Ball''. *

Son Gohan is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. Gohan is introduced as the first son of the protagonist Goku, and his wife Chi-Chi, in chapter #196 "Kakarrot", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magaz ...

– first son of Son Goku from ''Dragon Ball''. *

Son Goten '' Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the c ...

– second son of Son Goku from ''Dragon Ball''. * Son Pan – Son Goku's first granddaughter via Son Gohan from ''Dragon Ball''. * Son Goku Jr. – Great-great-grandson of Goku in the anime ''

Dragon Ball GT is a 1996–1997 Japanese anime television series based on Akira Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' manga. Produced by Toei Animation, the series premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and ran for 64 episodes from February 1996 to November 1997. Unlike th ...

References

External links

Chinese Sun surname history