Yīn (surname)
| Yin | |
|---|---|
 Yin surname in regular script | |
| Pronunciation |
Yīn (Pinyin) In (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) |
| Language(s) | Chinese, Korean |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Derivation | Name of the Yin Dynasty |
| Meaning | flourishing, blood red |
| Other names | |
| Variant(s) |
In (Hokkien, Sino-Japanese) Heung (Teochew) Eun (Yoon) (殷, 은 |
Yīn (Chinese: 殷; pinyin: Yīn) is a Chinese surname.
History
The surname Yīn can date to the fall of the Shang (Yin) Dynasty in 1046 BCE. After the dynasty's collapse, surviving ruling family members collectively changed their surname from 子 (pinyin: zǐ; Wade-Giles: tzu) (the royal surname) to the name of their fallen capital and country, Yin (殷). The family remained members of the aristocratic class. They often provided administrative services to the Zhou Dynasty who succeeded them.
Following the fall of the Shang Dynasty, Viscount of Wei (Wei Zi 微子), older brother of Di Xin, the last king of the Shang Dynasty, was given the territory around the old Shang capital, and established the State of Song (宋國). Rites for the Shang (Yin) kings continued to 286 BCE.[1]
The surname is still found in northern and northeastern China. There is a diaspora in the area south of the Yangtze River near the Wu region of China, and after the time of the Qing Dynasty, immigration to Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Yin settlements are found south-west of Tonghui in Gansu Province, in Shandong Province and in the Pearl River Delta area.
Notable people
- Yin Xian (殷羡), general of the Jin Dynasty (265–420)
- Yin Hao (殷浩), general of the Jin Dynasty
- Yin Zhongkan (殷仲堪), intellectual of the Northern and Southern Dynasties era
- Yin Chengzong (殷承宗), pianist and composer of the Yellow River Piano Concerto
- Yin Tseng Yan (殷正洋), Taiwanese pop singer.
- Yin Qiyu (殷綺妤), lawyer
- Yin Ming (殷明), physicist