Tián (), or T'ien in Wade-Giles is a

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, ...

. An alternative transliteration of "田" from Cantonese is Tin, from Hokkien is Thinn. It appeared in 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 language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...

'' text from the early Song dynasty. It also means "field". In 2019 it was the 34th most common surname in mainland China. The same character is Jeon in Korean hanja.

Origins

* perhaps from a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

called Tian (田), which in Old Chinese is pronounced similar to (陳) in Qi state. Assuming pronunciation of Tian in Old Chinese remains identical to today, the closest pronunciation of 陳 should be 'Tan', the Hokkien form. This surname was granted to Chen Wan (陳完), a prince in the

State of Chen Chen () was a state founded by Duke Hu of Chen during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. It existed from c. 1045 BC–479 BC. Its capital was Wanqiu, in present-day Huaiyang County in the plains of eastern Henan province. Chen, the 4th most ...

, who fled to Qi to escape persecution. The Qi clan also went on to rule Qi for many generations. * possibly dates even further back to the post name of an official in charge of the management of farmlands who served the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

. * adopted in place of the Chinese surname Huang (黃) by the son of the official Huang Zicheng during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, in order to avoid persecution.

Notable people

Tian Bingyi Tian Bingyi (; born July 30, 1963) is a former badminton player from China. Though he played some singles internationally early in his career, he soon specialised in men's doubles. Career From the mid 1980s to the early 1990s Tian and his regul ...

(born 1963), Chinese men's badminton player and 1992 Olympic medallist * Tian Bu (785–822), military general of the Chinese Tang dynasty *

Tian Chengping Tian Chengping (; born January 1945) is a politician in the People's Republic of China. Biography Born in Daming County, Hebei Province, Tian joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in April 1964, and started working in February 1968. He s ...

(born 1945), Chinese communist politician *

Tian Chengsi Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the Chinese Yan rebel state. who later submitted to and became a general of the Tang ...

(705–779), military general of the Chinese rebel state Yan * Tien Chung-kwang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (2020-) *

Tian Dan Tian Dan () was a general and nobleman of the major state of Qi during the Warring States period of ancient China. He was known for a spectacular military tactic called "Fire Cattle Columns". After the kingdom was nearly destroyed under the ru ...

(fl. 300 BC), military general during ancient China's Warring States period *

Tian Feng Tian Feng (died November 200), courtesy name Yuanhao, was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Life There are two accounts of Tian Feng's origins: One said that he was from Julu Command ...

(died 200), advisor to Yuan Shao during the late Han dynasty *

Tian Fengshan Tian Fengshan ( born 8 December 1940), is a former Chinese politician who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to life in prison. Biography Tian was born in Zhaoyuan County, Heilongjiang, on 8 December 1940, while his ancestral home in P ...

(born 1940), Chinese communist official *

Gang Tian Tian Gang (; born November 24, 1958) is a Chinese mathematician. He is a professor of mathematics at Peking University and Higgins Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He is known for contributions to the mathematical fields of Kähler g ...

(born 1958), Chinese-American mathematician *

Tian Han Tian Han ( zh, 田汉; 12 March 1898 – 10 December 1968), formerly romanized as T'ien Han, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. He emerged at the time of the ...

(1898–1968), Chinese revolutionary lyricist and playwright *

Tian Hongzheng Tian Hongzheng () (764 – August 29, 821), né Tian Xing (), courtesy name Andao (), formally Duke Zhongmin of Yi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang dynasty. Under his governance, Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered i ...

(764–821), military general during the Chinese Tang dynasty *

Tian Houwei Tian Houwei (; born 11 January 1992) is a badminton player from China. He was the 2009 World and Asian Junior Champions in the boys' singles event. Tian was part of the Chinese national team that won the silver medals at the 2013 Summer Unive ...

(born 1992), Chinese men's badminton player *

Hebe Tien Hebe Tien Fu-chen (; born 30 March 1983) is a Taiwanese singer and actress. She rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of Taiwanese girl group S.H.E. The release of her debut album, '' To Hebe'' (2010), established her as a solo artist. T ...

(born 1983), Taiwanese Mando-pop singer *

Tian Huaijian Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had been held by his family for generations. The soldier ...

(fl. 800), military general during the Chinese Tang dynasty *

Tian Ji Tian Ji (), courtesy name Qi (齐), was a military general of the Qi (state), Qi state during the early Warring States period (4th century BC) of History of China, Chinese history. Tian Ji met Sun Bin and recommended him to King Wei of Qi as a mi ...

(fl. 300 BC), military general of the Qi state during the early Warring States period *

Tian Jia Tian Jia ( zh, c=田佳, p=Tián Jia; born 9 February 1981 in Tianjin) is a female Chinese professional beach volleyball player. Career Tian won the bronze medal in the women's team competition at the 2005 Beach Volleyball World Championshi ...

(born 1981), Chinese female beach volleyball player *

Tian Ji'an Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang dynasty, who, as military governor (''jiedushi''), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) ...

(781 or 782–812), military general during the Chinese Tang dynasty *

Tin Ka Ping Tin Ka Ping (; 20 November 1919 – 10 July 2018), also known as K. P. Tin or Tian Jiabing, was a Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder and chairman of Tin’s Chemical Industrial Company and the Tin Ka Ping Foundation. ...

or Tian Jiabing (1919–2018), Hong Kong entrepreneur and philanthropist *

Tian Jianxia Tian Jianxia (born 3 September 1986) is a Chinese men's handball player who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an i ...

(born 1986), Chinese men's handball player *

Tian Jiyun Tian Jiyun (; born 4 June 1929 in Feicheng, Shandong) is a retired politician in the People's Republic of China, known as a supporter of Deng Xiaoping's reforms. The best-known feature of his biography is the speech of 1992, delivered in the Cen ...

(born 1929), Chinese communist politician *

Tian Jun Tian Jun (; 858''New Book of Tang'', vol. 189. – December 30, 903''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 264.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Dechen (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord during the l ...

(858–903), warlord during the late Chinese Tang dynasty * Tian Jun (rower) (born 1982), Chinese male rower *

Tian Kai Tian Kai (died 199) was an official serving under the warlord Gongsun Zan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Little is recorded about Tian Kai in history. He probably started his career as a subordinate of the warlord Gongsu ...

(died 199), Chinese official in Qing Province during the Chinese Tang dynasty *

Tian Kehan Khan of Heaven or Tian Kehan, Celestial Kha(ga)n, Heavenly Kha(ga)n, Tengri Kha(ga)n (; Old Turkic: 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃𐰴𐰍𐰣‬) was a title addressed to the Emperor Taizong of Tang by various Turkic nomads. It was first mentioned in accounts o ...

, honorific name used to refer to various Chinese leaders *

Tian Liang (rower) Tian Liang (; born 4 February 1986 in Mohe, Daxing'anling, Heilongjiang) is a female Chinese rower, who competed in the women's double sculls for the Chinese team at the 2008 Summer Olympics with team-mate Li Qin. They finished in 4th pla ...

(born 1986), Chinese female Olympic rower *

Tian Liang Tian Liang ( zh, c=田亮, p=Tián Liàng; born August 27, 1979) is a Chinese actor and former diving (sport), diver. Diving career Tian won gold in the 10 m platform event in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In the Summer Olympics 2004, he won th ...

(born 1979), Chinese male diver and two-time Olympic champion *

Tian Lingzi Tian Lingzi (田令孜) (died 893), courtesy name Zhongze (仲則), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. During most of Emperor Xizong's reign, he had a stranglehold on power due to h ...

(died 893), eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang * Tian Mingjian (1964–1994), Chinese First Lieutenant and spree killer *

Tian Pengfei Tian Pengfei (; born 16 August 1987) is a Chinese former professional snooker player. He began his career by playing the Challenge Tour in 2004, at the time the second-level professional tour. Tian played on the Main Tour in 2006 and competed o ...

(born 1987), Chinese male snooker player *

Tian Qing Tian Qing (; born 19 August 1986) is a Chinese badminton player specializing in doubles. Career Tian Qing started to practice badminton with her father Tian Jianyi who also a badminton coach in Anhua Sports School at aged 7. In 1998, she mov ...

(born 1986), Chinese women's badminton player * Tian Songyao (1888–1975), Chinese warlord of the Sichuan clique and later Kuomintang general * Tian Tian (chess player) (born 1983), Chinese female chess grandmaster *

Tian Wang Heavenly King or Tian Wang (), also translated as Heavenly Prince, is a Chinese title for various religious deities and divine leaders throughout history, as well as an alternate form of the term ''Son of Heaven'', referring to the emperor. The ...

, honorific name used to refer to various Chinese leaders * Tian Xiusi (born 1950), Chinese communist politician and military general *

Tian Xu Tian Xu ( 220–264) was a military officer of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Tian Xu was from Wuzhong County (無終縣), Youbeiping Commandery (右北平郡), which is in present-day Jizhou District, T ...

, military general during the late Chinese Han dynasty * Tian Xu (Tang dynasty) (764–796), military general during the Chinese Tang dynasty * Tian Ye (born 1972), Chinese former football goalkeeper * Tian Ye (born 1982), male Chinese cross-country skier and biathlete * Tian Yi (1534–1605), Ming dynasty court eunuch *

Tian Yu Tian Yu (c. 171 – c. 252), courtesy name Guorang, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Tian Yu was from Yongnu County (), Yuyang Commandery (), which is present-day Wuqing Distr ...

(171–252), military general of the state of Cao Wei *

Tian Yue Tian Yue () (751 – March 26, 784), formally the Prince of Jiyang (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician who, from 782 to 784, claimed the title of Prince of Wei independent from the Tang regime. Prior to that, he had already ...

(751–784), military general during the Chinese Tang dynasty * Tian Yunzhang (born 1945), Chinese calligrapher and academic *

Tian Yuan (singer) Tian Yuan (; born 30 March 1985) is a Chinese singer-songwriter, actress, novelist and photographer. Born in Wuhan, China, she majored in English at Beijing Language and Culture University, and graduated in 2007. Music career At age of only 16, ...

(born 1985), Chinese musician and actress *

Tian Yuan (table tennis) Tian Yuan (； born 12 January 1975 in Shenyang) is a Chinese-born table tennis player who competes internationally for Croatia. She competed for Croatia at the 2012 Summer Olympics reaching the second round. Tian Yuan moved to Croatia in 1999. ...

(born 1975), Chinese-Croatian table tennis player *

Tian Yuan (weightlifter) Tian Yuan (; born January 29, 1993) is a Chinese weightlifter Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. ...

(born 1993), Chinese female weightlifter * Tian Yumei (born 1965), Chinese former sprint athlete * Tian Zhen (born 1966), Chinese rock singer * Zhiting Tian, Chinese-American mechanical engineer *

Tian Zhuangzhuang Tian Zhuangzhuang (; born April 1952 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, producer and actor. Tian was born to an influential actor and actress in China. Following a short stint in the military, Tian began his artistic career first as an am ...

(born 1952), Chinese film director and producer *

Chang-Lin Tien Chang-Lin Tien (; July 24, 1935 – October 29, 2002) was a Taiwanese-American academic, mechanical engineer, and university administrator. He was the seventh chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (1990–1997), and in that cap ...

or Tian Changlin (1935–2002), Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (1990–97) *

James Tien (actor) James Tien (born 28 May 1942) is a Hong Kong retired actor. He appeared in almost 70 films, primarily in Hong Kong action cinema, including roles in the films of martial arts stars including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. He often playe ...

, Chinese actor *

James Tien (politician) James Tien Pei-chun, GBS, OBE, JP (; born 8 January 1947) is the former chairman and Leader of the Liberal Party (LP) and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco). Originally an entrepreneur, he was also a non-offici ...

(born 1947), Hong Kong businessman and politician, current Chairman of the Liberal Party *

Michael Tien Michael Tien Puk-sun (; born 26 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 and U2 Clothing retail chains and former ...

, brother of

John Tien John Kai Tien Jr. (born 1963) is an American government official and retired United States Army officer who served as the United States deputy secretary of homeland security in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2023. Early life and educati ...

, American military and government official

Fictional characters

Tian Hu Tian Hu is a fictional character and antagonist in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is one of the three rebel leaders in the Song dynasty along with Fang La and Wang Qing, that the Liangshan h ...

, antagonist in the ''Water Margin'' * Tian Qilang, protagonist of a short story with the same name in ''

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio ''Liaozhai zhiyi'', sometimes shortened to ''Liaozhai'', known in English as ''Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'', ''Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio'', ''Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio'', or literally ''Strange Tales from a Studio o ...

References

{{surname, Tian Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames

Origins

Notable people

Fictional characters

See also

References