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 res ...

classic text A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the C ...

'' Hundred Family Surnames''. Other transliterations include Suen (Hong Kong and regions with Cantonese-speaking populations), Sen ( Amoy dialect), Sng ( Teochew dialect),

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 (), Vietn ...

( Vietnamese),

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 curren ...

( Japanese/ Korean), 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 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 Sunshu Ao (孫叔敖, c. 630 – c. 593 BCE) was a Chinese hydraulic engineer and politician. He was a court minister serving the administration of King Zhuang of Chu during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. During his governmental career, Sunshu Ao was ...

(孫叔敖) comes from the surname

Wei Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

(蔿), from Yuan (薳) in Chu ***Sun Shu (孫叔), the style name of

, 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 Sun Wanrong () (died 697) was a khan of the Khitans who, along with his brother-in-law Li Jinzhong, rose against Wu Zhou Wu may refer to: States and regions on modern China's territory *Wu (state) (; och, *, italic=yes, links=no), a kingdom du ...

(孫萬榮) came from the Khitan people of

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

*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 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 * 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, 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 12 ...

). 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)

* Sun Tzu (544 – 496 BC) – a militarist in the Spring and Autumn period, the author of '' The Art of War''. *Sun Yang ( Bole) – a horse physiognomer of the Spring and Autumn period. * Sun Bin (a.k.a. Sun Tzu, Sunzi, died 316 BC) – a militarist in 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 ...

and descendant of Sun Tzu. *

Sun Cheng Sun Cheng () (died 132) was a eunuch at the Imperial Chinese court during the Han Dynasty. Contrary to the stereotype of Han eunuchs being corrupt and power-hungry, he was loyal to the imperial family and tried (unsuccessfully) to counter the cul ...

(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 Sun Jian () () (155–191?), courtesy name Wentai, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed ...

(155–191),

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

military general and warlord * Sun Ce (175–200), Han dynasty warlord *

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime ...

(182–252), founding emperor of the Eastern Wu state in the Three Kingdoms period * Sun Liang (243–260), second emperor of Eastern Wu * Sun Xiu (235–264), third emperor of Eastern Wu * Sun Hao (242–284), fourth and last emperor of Eastern Wu * Lady Sun, Sun Jian's daughter ** ''see also Eastern Wu family trees'' * Sun Shao (163–225), first chancellor of the Eastern Wu state in the Three Kingdoms period *

Sun Qian Sun Qian (died 214),, sometimes known as Sun Gan, courtesy name Gongyou, was a Chinese diplomat and official serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. His talent was noted by the scholar Zheng Xuan. So Liu Bei ...

, 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. * Sun Tzu (a.k.a. Sunzi; ''fl.'' 4th century) – mathematician famous for the Chinese remainder theorem. *

Sun Chuo Sun Chuo () (320-377) was a Chinese poet of the Six Dynasties poetry tradition. He was one of the famous participants of the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, along with Wang Xizhi, and a large group of other scholar-poets, in 353 CE, in Shan-yin (now ...

(320–377) – a poet of the Six Dynasties poetry tradition. * Sun En (died 402) – leader of a rebellion against the Jin dynasty. * Sun Simiao (581–682)- a traditional Chinese medicine physician of the Sui and

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

dynasties. *

Sun Yuanheng Sun Yuanheng (孫元亨) (died October 26, 696) was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor. Despite Sun's high status, little is firmly established about his career except for the time that he served as chancellor— ...

(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 refer ...

'' 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 ...

Xunzhou Guiping () is a county-level city in eastern Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of Guigang City, located at the confluence of the Qian and Yu rivers, which are the Xi River's primary north and south tributaries, respectively. Na ...

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 Sun Chuanting (; 1 January 1593 – 3 November 1643), courtesy name Boya (百雅), art name Baigu (白谷), was born in Shanxi; he was the late Ming dynasty's Ministry of War (imperial China), Minister of War (Bingbu Shangshu), and Field Mar ...

(1593–1643) – a Chinese 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 (died 1893) – a Chinese general in the Battle of Tamsui. *

Sun Jiagan Sun Jiagan (, 1683–1753) was a Chinese politician of the Qing dynasty. Born in Taiyuan, Shanxi, Sun was son of a family that was so poor that he had to work hard all day collecting firewood, and could only study at night. In 1713, he graduated ...

(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-speak ...

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; and also of a hostile criticism on the '' Kongzi Jiayu''. *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 it ...

. 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, Tantai Mieming, and

Zeng Dian Zeng Dian (; born 546 BC), courtesy name Zixi (), also known as Zeng Xi (), was one of the earliest disciples of Confucius. He is known for a passage in the ''Analects'' in which he expressed his ambition as no more than being content with daily l ...

, three of the disciples of Confucius.Herbert Allen Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, p. 691 (1898). *

Sun Yuting Sun Yuting (1752–1834), courtesy name Jiashu and pseudonym Jipu, was a Chinese official of the Qing dynasty. He served as the Provincial Governor of Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces, Viceroy of Huguang and Liangjiang, and as a member of ...

(1752–1834) – a Chinese governor. * Sun Jiagu – a

envoy. *

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

(1866–1925) – the founder of the Republic of China. * Sun Chuanfang (1885–1935) – a Zhili clique warlord. *

Sun Lih-chyun Sun Lih-chyun (; born 21 October 1961) is a Taiwanese politician. He currently serves as the spokesperson of the Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive (government), executive branch of the government of the Republic of Chi ...

– spokesperson of Executive Yuan of the Republic of China. * Sun Li-jen (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 T ...

, 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 main ...

. *

Sun Ta-chuan Paelabang Danapan (; born 18 December 1953), also known as Sun Ta-chuan (), is an aboriginal Taiwanese educator and politician. He had served as Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples from 2009 to 2013 and Vice President of the Control Yu ...

– 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 Legislat ...

of the Republic of China. * Sun Te-hsiung – Minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Republic of China (1991–1994). *

Sun Zhengcai Sun Zhengcai (; born September 25, 1963) is a former Chinese politician and senior regional official. From 2012 to 2017, Sun served as the Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing, an interior municipality, and a member of the Politburo of the Chi ...

(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 p ...

, 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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

* Sun Honglei, Chinese Actor (Hong Kong) starring in numerous films and

TV dramas In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...

* Sun Jihai, a football player from People's Republic of China *

Sun Mingming Sun Mingming (, born August 23, 1983) is a Chinese former professional basketball player. He is the tallest professional basketball player in the world and was measured by the Guinness World Records as 2.36m tall and weighing 168kg. Early life ...

(born 1983), Chinese basketball player * Sun Qinglin (born 1974), Chinese artists, member of

Yangjiang Group The Yangjiang Group is a Chinese artist collective founded in 2002 by Zheng Guogu (born 1970), Chen Zaiyan (born 1971), and Sun Qinglin (born 1974). The group's name takes after their hometown in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province. The Yangjiang Group' ...

artist collective *

Sun Nan Sun Nan (; born February 18, 1969) is a pop singer from Dalian in mainland China. His songs include "Be there or Be Square", "The Wind Goes to North", "Save", and his song for the 2008 Summer Olympics, "Forever Friends". Sun's album ''Crescent ...

, a Chinese male singer * Stefanie Sun, 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 List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Sun Yang Sun Yang (; ; born 1 December 1991) is a Chinese Olympic and world-record-holding competitive swimmer. In 2012, Sun became the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic swimming gold medal. Sun is the first male swimmer in history to earn Oly ...

, 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 Sun Zehao (, born 13 December 1995) is a Chinese professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for Kunlun Red Star in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Playing career Sun Zehao began his career playing for Beijing Ice Hockey, in the ...

(born 1995), an ice hockey goaltender * Jónas Sen, an Icelandic/Chinese music critic, composer and pianist (of Chinese origin) * Masayoshi Son, A Japanese businessman and the founder and current chief executive officer of SoftBank, the chief executive officer of SoftBank Mobile, and current chairman of Sprint Corporation. *

Nike Sun Nike Sun is a probability theorist who works as an associate professor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on leave from the department of statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. She won the Rollo Davidson P ...

, mathematician *

Dong Sun Dong Sun (; born 1967) is a Chinese scientist in Hong Kong who is currently the Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Centre for Robotics and Automation at the City University of Hong Kong. He ...

, a Chinese Scientist and the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of

Chris Sun Chris Sun Yuk-han () is the current Secretary for Labour and Welfare in Hong Kong, appointed on 1 July 2022 as part of John Lee's administration. Biography According to his official government profile, Sun in 1994 joined the Administrative Ser ...

, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare of

Seraph Sun Seraphine Sng Sin Pei (), also known as Seraph Sun, is a Singaporean former actress. She was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 2013 to 2017. She won the "Ms Popularity" title in '' S.N.A.P.'' in 2012, and starred in dramas such as Peace & Prosp ...

, a Singaporean actress * Sun Xueling, a Singaporean 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 Sun Zhenni (; born May 5, 2000 in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese singer and actress. She is a member of Team HII of the Chinese idol group SNH48, as well as its sub-units, Color Girls and Style-7. Early life Sun was born on May 5, 2000 in the Ho ...

, Chinese singer, actress, and member of Chinese idol group SNH48

Fictional people

* Sun Wukong – the Monkey-King protagonist of '' Journey to the West'' * Son Goku – main character in the '' Dragon Ball'' series loosely based on Sun Wukong. * Grandpa Son Gohan – adoptive grandfather of Son Goku from ''Dragon Ball''. * Son Gohan – 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 cha ...

– 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 the ...

References

External links

Chinese Sun surname history