The An Family#

Surname: An, Pronunciation: Ān

Regions Where the An Surname is Found**#

Liangzhou County, Ningxia; Wuwei County, Gansu; Wuling County, Hubei

Origins of the An Surname#

The An surname originates from ethnic minorities in the Western Regions. There are three main theories regarding its origin:

1. According to the "New Tang Book: Genealogy of Prime Ministers," during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, a prince from the Parthian kingdom (in northeastern Iran) named An Qing devoted himself to Buddhism and settled in the capital, Luoyang. This branch of the An family descended from him.
2. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, another Parthian prince also settled in China, contributing to the An lineage.
3. The third theory suggests that the An surname evolved from a combined surname of the Xianbei people. As recorded in the "Wei Book: Official Family Records," during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a Xianbei family with the combined surname "An Chi." After moving to Luoyang with Emperor Xiaowen of Wei, they adopted the Han surname "An."
4. The An family was also one of the "Nine Famous Surnames of Zhao Wu" (including the He surname). The ancient capital of the An state was located in the Bukhara region of present-day Uzbekistan. This branch of the An family came under Tang rule during the Yonghui era and later became part of the Chinese population.

Migration and Distribution

During the Pre-Qin period, the An surname was relatively unknown. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, the An family became prominent in the Central Plains and the Hexi Corridor. The Tang Dynasty saw rapid development of the An surname, but due to the An Lushan Rebellion, the An population in the Henan region decreased as people changed their surnames. By the Song Dynasty, there were about 140,000 people with the An surname, accounting for 0.19% of the national population, ranking 90th in popularity. Sichuan was the most populous province for the An surname, accounting for 25% of the total national population. The main distribution areas were Sichuan, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei, accounting for 74% of the national total. During the Ming Dynasty, the An population sharply declined to around 80,000, ranking over 150th in popularity, with a focus in Guizhou and Shanxi (40% of the total national population).

Notable Figures with the An Surname

An Lushan (703–757) was from Liucheng, Yingzhou (present-day Chaoyang, Liaoning). His original surname was Kang. His mother was of Turkic origin, and after she married a man named An Yanyan, he changed his surname to An and adopted the name Lushan. He spoke various languages, was physically strong, and was a skilled warrior. He was adopted by Zhang Shouyang, the governor of Youzhou, and later held positions such as Commander of the Pinglu Army and Governor of Yingzhou. In 742, he became the governor of Pinglu and later also served as the governor of Fanyang and Hebei. He controlled three military regions and secretly trained troops, gaining the support of disheartened Han scholars. He eventually commanded an army of 150,000, claiming to have 200,000. Discontent with the Tang rulers and in a power struggle with Yang Guozhong, he launched a rebellion in 755, capturing Luoyang and proclaiming himself emperor of the Yan dynasty. He advanced westward, captured Chang'an, and conducted widespread killings. In 757, he was killed by his son An Qingxu while attempting to make An Qingxi his heir.

Current Distribution

The current population of the An surname in Han Chinese is 1.7 million, ranking 110th in popularity nationwide, accounting for 0.14% of the total population. Over the past 600 years, the An population has increased by 21 times. The distribution of the An surname is mainly concentrated in Hebei, Anhui, Shandong, and Liaoning, accounting for 45% of the total. Other significant populations are found in Henan, Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Guizhou (37%). The An surname has a wide distribution but is unevenly distributed across the country. In certain regions, such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, Shanxi, Ningxia, most of Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Sichuan, northern Guizhou, and parts of Henan and Shandong, the An population accounts for more than 0.24% of the local population. In other areas, the proportion is lower, ranging from 0.12% to 0.24%.

Conclusion

The An surname has a rich historical background and a significant presence in Chinese society. Its distribution reflects both regional variations and population dynamics over time.