Jin
Language(s)Chinese
Origin
Meaning"gold"
Region of originChina
Other names
Variant form(s)Chin
Gyim
Kam
Kym
Kim
Kheng

Jin is the Hanyu pinyin transliteration of a number of Chinese surnames. The most common one, Jīn 金, literally means "gold" and is 29th[1] in the list of "Hundred Family Surnames". As of 2006, it is ranked the 64th most common Chinese surname and is sometimes transliterated as Chin.

The other, less common, surnames that are "Jin" in pinyin include Jìn (晋/晉) and Jìn (靳).

金 (Jīn)

Mythology

Jin is an ancient surname, dating back over 4,000 years. It was first mentioned during the period ruled by the Yellow Emperor, a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero, who is considered in Chinese mythology to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. The legend behind the Jin surname is as follows:

The Yellow Emperor's son, Yi Zhi (Shaohao), eventually succeeded him. On the same day he was installed as leader, a golden phoenix flew down and perched on top of a house exactly opposite of where he sat. His followers reckoned it was an auspicious beginning. They decided to use gold as the emblem of their tribe. Yi Zhi was retitled Jin Tian Shi ("golden skies") by his people, and headed the Jin Tian Tribe. Their settlement was located in Qufu (presently Qufu city in Shandong province). Yi Zhi died in 2515 BCE. Some of his descendants adopted Jin as their surnames and left off the words Tian Shi ("skies").[2]

The surname also appeared in an area called Pengcheng (now known as Tong Shan Xian) during the Han Dynasty, from 206BCE to 220BCE.

Origin of Surname Jīn (金)

Notables with the surname 金

Cultural works

Variants

靳 (Jìn)

According to legend, Jìn (靳) family name originated from Zhurong. It was later a clan in the Chu (state). Originally the name was Jian-Jin (篯), but was later changed to Jian-Qian (錢) and Jìn (靳).

Notables with the surname 靳

晋/晉 (Jìn)

Jìn (晋 family name originate from Táng Shū Yú (唐叔虞) the brother of King Wu of Zhou. He founded the state of Jin and his later descendants used the surname Jìn (晋).

Notables with the surname 晋

References

  1. ^ Ronald Eng Young (1996–2009). "The Hundred Families Surnames". The Origin of Hundred Surnames (in English and Chinese). Ronald Eng Young. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  2. ^ CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (13 September 1996). "Chinese surname No.29 Jin (gold)". Google groups - soc.culture.china. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
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