Chinese surname

A Chinese surname, family name ({{zh-d-cp|c=姓|p= xìng}} or clan name ; shì), is one of the hundreds or thousands of family names that have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, and among ethnic Chinese in overseas Chinese communities.

Related Topics:
Family name - Han Chinese - Sinicized - Chinese ethnic groups - Mainland China - Taiwan - Ethnic Chinese - Overseas Chinese

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Chinese family names are patrilineal, passed from father to children. (In cases of adoption, the adoptee usually also takes the same surname.) Chinese women, after marriage, typically retain their birth surname. The term "the hundred surnames" ( bǎi xìng) is colloquially used in Chinese to mean "the people" or "commoners".

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See List of common Chinese surnames for the 100 most common surnames.

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