The Nanmen Clan#

Clan Name: Nanmen, pronounced as “nán mén”

Regions Where the Nanmen Clan Is Present#

• Henei Commandery: During the Jin Dynasty, it was believed that the area north of the Yellow River was considered Henei, while the areas to the south and west were considered “Hewai” (outside Henei). Around the end of the Spring and Autumn period, during the time of the Chu and Han dynasties (around the late 3rd century BCE), the Henei Commandery was established with its administrative center in Huai County (present-day Wuzhi, Henan). At that time, its jurisdiction included the area north of the Yellow River and west of the Beijing-Hankou Railway in present-day Henan Province, including Jixian County.
• Runan Commandery: Established in the fourth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty (203 BCE), with its administrative center in Shangcai (present-day Shangcai, Henan). Its jurisdiction covered the area between the Ying River and Huai River in Henan Province, east of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, west of the Ci River and Xi Fei River in Anhui Province, and north of the Huai River, including Yancheng County, Shangcai County, and Xiangcheng County. The administrative center was located in Shangcai (present-day Shangcai, Henan).

Origins of the Nanmen Clan#

The Nanmen clan has the following origins:

1. From celestial phenomena: Descendants of ancient astronomers who used the names of celestial constellations as their surnames. According to the historical record “Shiji · Tian Guan Shu,” there were two large stars in the sky called Nanmen Stars. The Nanmen clan originated from the descendants of officials responsible for observing celestial phenomena in ancient times.
2. From the Zi surname: Descendants of Naman Rui, a minister of the Shang Dynasty. This origin is based on the name of a ancestors or their official title.
3. From official positions: Officials responsible for guarding the southern gate of the city during the Zhou Dynasty. Their surnames were derived from their official titles.
4. From the Ji surname: Residents living near the southern gate of the city during the Zhou Dynasty. Their surnames were derived from the location of their residence.

Ancestor of the Clan: Naman Rui

Migration and Distribution

Although the Nanmen clan is an ancient Han Chinese surname, its population does not rank among the top 300 surnames in mainland China. It is not listed in the “Hundred Family Surnames” in Taiwan Province and ranks 469th in the Song Dynasty version of this list. There are many theories about the origins of the Nanmen clan. Ancient Chinese texts already mention the Nanmen Stars, suggesting that “Nanmen” could be the surname of ancient astronomers or officials in charge of celestial observations. Another theory is that descendants of officials who guarded the southern gate during the Shang and Zhou dynasties adopted the Nanmen surname, or that residents living near the southern gate of the city in ancient times often used Nanmen as their surname. Over time, the Nanmen surname evolved into the simpler “Nan” surname. The Nanmen clan may have emerged as early as more than 3,700 years ago during the reign of King Tang of the Shang Dynasty. The earliest form of the Nanmen surname was derived from an official title, originating in the Henei Commandery, with a prominent branch of the clan coming from the Runan Commandery. Today, there are still small communities of Nanmen clan members in Wuzhi and Runan counties of Henan Province and Liuhe District of Nanjing City in Jiangsu Province.

Hall Names (Tang Hao):

• Henei Hall: Named after the prominent family from the Henei Commandery.
• Runan Hall: Named after the prominent family from the Runan Commandery.