In 2008, the surname " ()",

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 ...

''Yán'', or Yim in Cantonese was estimated to be the 92nd most common surname in the People's Republic of China, shared by around 2.2 million citizens. It is the 27th 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 dyn ...

'' poem. This surname has various origins. In the

state of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou hea ...

, the branch of Xiong (熊) of the Zhuang surname (莊) was renamed to Yan (嚴). The Zhuang (莊) family changed their names to Yan () upon the ascension of the

Han 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 p ...

Ming Emperor, whose personal name was Zhuang, owing to the

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...

. In the

state of Qin Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...

, many families with the surname

Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

(嬴) were renamed Yan (嚴). Citizens of the

State of Yan Yan (; Old Chinese pronunciation: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu ...

(嚴國) in Ancient China were surnamed Yan (嚴). During the

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...

, the royal family of

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 ...

were given the surname Yan (嚴). Some ethnic minority groups in China, including the

Xibe people The Sibe or Xibo (, , ; ), are a Tungusic-speaking East Asian ethnic group living mostly in Xinjiang, Jilin and Shenyang in Liaoning. The Sibe form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China, and had a recorded population of 190 ...

Yi people The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with eac ...

and

Tu people The Monguor (; Tu: Mongghul), the Tu people (), the White Mongol or the Tsagaan Mongol, are Mongolic peoples, Mongolic people and one of the 56 officially recognized List of ethnic groups in China, ethnic groups in China. The "Tu" ethnic catego ...

, also use the surname Yan (嚴)

Origins

People with the surname Zhuang (莊) changed it to 嚴 (both meaning ‘solemnity’) during the reign of

Emperor Ming of Han Emperor Ming of Han (15June 28 – 5September 75), born and also known as and as , was the second emperor of China's Eastern Han dynasty. He was the fourth son and second crown prince of Emperor Guangwu. It was during Emperor Ming's reign ...

, who person name was Liu Zhuang (劉莊), due to a

as the surname 莊 happened to be the given name of the emperor. Later some descendants kept the surname, whereas others changed back to the original.Patrick Hanks, Peter McClure, and Richard Coates, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland

Notable people

Yen Ming Yen Ming (; born 14 November 1949) was the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 8 August 2013 to 30 January 2015. Education Yen graduated from the Republic of China Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung. Early career ...

, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China (2013–2015) *

Yen Teh-fa Yen Teh-fa (; born 14 November 1952) is a Taiwanese politician and retired general of the Republic of China Army. His ancestral home was in Nanjing. He was previously the Minister of National Defense and the secretary-general of the National Securi ...

, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China * Yen Tzung-ta, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of China * 嚴顔 Yan Yan, a general of the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

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 Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

* 嚴家麟

Yen Chia-lin Yen Jiā-lin (), also known as Benjamin Yen (1890-1967) was the founder of Scouting in China. He studied at Boone University and became an ordained minister in 1916. He studied at Springfield College and graduated with a Master's Degree in 1926. ...

, founder of Scouting in China * 嚴家淦

Yen Chia-kan Yen Chia-kan (; 23 October 1905 – 24 December 1993), also known as C. K. Yen, was a Kuomintang politician. He succeeded Chiang Kai-shek as President of the Republic of China on 5 April 1975, being sworn in on 6 April 1975, and served out the ...

(born 1905–1993), President of Taiwan 1975-1978 * 嚴復

Yan Fu Yan Fu (, IPA: ; courtesy name: Ji Dao, ; 8 January 1854 — 27 October 1921) was a Chinese military officer, newspaper editor, translator, and writer. He was most famous for introducing western ideas, including Darwin's "natural selection", t ...

(born 1854), Chinese scholar * 嚴歌苓

Geling Yan Geling Yan (; born 16 November 1958) is a Chinese-American author and screenwriter. Early life Yan was born in Shanghai, China in 1958. She is the second child of Yan Dunxun and Jia Lin. She has an elder brother Yan Geping (严歌平). Her fath ...

(born 1958), Chinese-American writer * 嚴浩

Yim Ho Yim Ho (Chinese:嚴浩) is a Hong Kong director most active in the 1980s, and a leader of the Hong Kong New Wave. He began his career making television programs for RTHK, then became a film director in 1980. One of his most critically acclaimed w ...

(born 1952) Hong Kong film directors, leader of Hong Kong New Wave *

Yan Huilian Yan Huilian (born 18 June 1983) is a Chinese archer. She won individual event in the 2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports even ...

(born 1983), Chinese archer * 严家其

Yan Jiaqi Yan Jiaqi (; born December 25, 1942) is a Chinese political scientist and dissident. Biography Yan was born on 25 December 1942 in Wujin District, Changzhou, Jiangsu, during the Chinese Civil War. In 1959, he entered the University of Science ...

(born 1942), Chinese political scientist and dissident * 嚴金萱

Yan Jinxuan Yan Jinxuan () (21 May 1924 – 20 November 2014) was a Chinese composer. She was best known for composing the music to the opera and ballet, ''The White Haired Girl''. The opera was first performed in 1945. Yan composed a ballet with music ada ...

(born 1924), Chinese composer of ''The White Haired Girl'' * 严隽琪

Yan Junqi Yan Junqi (; born August 1946) is the vice chairwoman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress of China, and the national chair of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, a legally recognized non-Communist political party ...

(born 1946), Vice chairwoman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress of China * 严培明

Yan Pei-Ming Yan Pei-Ming (Simplified Chinese: 严培明; pinyin: Yán Péimíng), born 1 December 1960, is a Chinese painter. Since 1981 he has been living in Dijon, France. His most famous paintings are "epic-sized" portraits of Mao Zedong worked out in blac ...

(born 1960), Chinese-born French painter * 严诗敏 Yan Shimin (born 1987), Chinese rower * 严顺开

Yan Shunkai Yan Shunkai (; 6 June 1937 – 16 October 2017) was a Chinese comedian, actor and film director. Yan rose to fame after portraying Ah Q in ''The True Story of Ah Q'', which was based on an episodic novella by Lu Xun, one of the pioneers of mode ...

(born 1937), Chinese comedian, actor and director * 嚴倩君

Sophia Yan Sophia Yan (嚴倩君, pinyin: Yán Qiànjūn, b. October 8, 1986) is an American classical pianist, journalist and Beijing correspondent at The Daily Telegraph. Early life and education Yan was born to Taiwanese parents in Queens, New York. S ...

(born 1986), American classical pianist * 嚴詠春

Yim Wing-chun Yim Wing-chun () is a Chinese legendary character, often cited in Wing Chun legends as the first master of the martial art bearing her name. Wing-chun, though a person's name in Chinese language, translates literally to "spring chant", or may be ...

, a Chinese legendary character, often cited in Wing Chun legends as the first master of the martial art bearing her name * 严屹宽

Yan Yikuan Yan Yikuan (Chinese: 严屹宽; born 24 January 1979), formerly known as Yan Kuan (Chinese: 严宽) and also known as Kevin Yan, is a Chinese actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Taiji Prodigy'' (2002), ''T ...

(born 1979), Chinese actor and singer * 嚴爵 Yen-j (born 1988), Taiwanese singer and actor * 严红 Yan Hong (born 1967), Chinese swimmer * 严剑葵

Yan Jiankui Yan Jiankui (born 19 March 1976) is a retired female sprinter from PR China. She competed in the 100 metres and the 200 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1998 she won both the 100 metres and 200 metres the Asian Championships and as well as ...

(born 1976), Chinese sprinter * Yan Jing (born 1970), Chinese fencer * 严济慈

Yan Jici Yan Jici (; 23 January 1901 – 2 November 1996), also commonly known as Ny Tsi-ze, was a Chinese physicist and politician who is considered a founder of modern physics in China. He was a founding member of Academia Sinica in 1948 and of the Chi ...

(born 1901), Chinese physicist and politician * 严浩翔 Yan Haoxiang (2002), singer, member of Teens in Times

References

{{100 Most Common Family Names in Mainland China Chinese-language surnames