Nian Family History

Chinese:: Mandarin form of the surname 年 meaning ‘year’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by some descendants of Tian He also known as Duke Tai of Tian Qi (died 384 BC) king of the state of Qi during Warring States Period (475– 221 BC). (ii) adopted in place of another Chinese surname Yan (嚴) by descendants of Yan Fu (嚴富) an official during the Ming dynasty (1368– 1644 AD) who changed the original surname to Nian (年) because of mispronunciations influenced by local dialects. (iii) adopted as a Chinese surname by some tribes of the Manchu ethnic group.

Mandarin form of the surname 粘 meaning ‘glutinous’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the compound surname Nian Ge (粘合 also written as 粘哥 粘割 or 粘葛) a surname from Jurchens ancestors of Manchu ethnic group during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234 AD). (ii) from the first element of Nian Han (粘罕) the name of a famous general during the Jin (or Jurchen) dynasty (1115–1234 AD).