Xian Family History

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 冼: (i) said to be traceable back to minority ethnic groups in Gaoliang (located in present-day Guangdong province) dating back to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). It is also said that this surname can be traced back to Shen Rui (沈汭) who migrated to the Nanyue kingdom (Nam Viet in Vietnamese covering present-day Guangdong, Guangxi, and part of Fujian in China and part of Vietnam) during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and changed his original surname Shen (沈) to Xian (洗) which was later simplified to Xian (冼).

(ii) traced back to the Yao and Zhuang ethnic groups in present-day Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Li ethnic group in present-day Hainan province. This surname is more commonly found in southern China. Mandarin form of the surname 咸 meaning ‘salty’ in Chinese: (i) from the second element of the personal name Wu Xian (巫咸) an astrologer during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC).

(ii) borne by descendants of certain deposed nobles during a coup plotted by Li Ji, the favored concubine of the Duke Xian of Jin (ruler of the state of Jin, died in 651 BC). (iii) from Xian (咸), the name of an ancient state (possibly located in Henan province) during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC).

Mandarin form of the surname 先 meaning ‘before’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Xian (先), the name of a fief (located in Shanxi province) originally granted to Xi Shu, an official in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) a surname traced back to a minority ethnic group in southwestern China.

Mandarin form of the surname 鮮 meaning 'rare' in ancient Chinese: (i) from Xian (鮮), the name of a fief (possibly located in present-day North Korea) granted to Xu Yu (also known as Ji Zi), uncle of the king Zhou (last king of the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC)). (ii) shortened form of the compound surname Xian Yu (鮮於).