Minamoto Family History

Japanese: written 源 ‘source origin’. With the Fujiwara and Taira, this is one of the three most prominent clans in Japanese history and is ancestral to a large number of families. It is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku.

The Minamoto are also commonly called Genji 源氏 from the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of minamoto + the word for clan. The name itself is not common today as most of the descendant families have taken other surnames usually from their places of residence.