The Yuichi Family Name#

Family Name: Yuichi, pronounced as yù chí

Distribution of the Yuichi Family Name#

Taiyuan Commandery: During the Qin and Han dynasties, the administrative center of Taiyuan Commandery was located in Jinyang, which is in the southwest of present-day Taiyuan city. During the Sui dynasty, Jinyang was renamed Taiyuan, and another Jinyang was established, which was in the same city as Taiyuan. During the Tang dynasty, the Taiyuan Prefecture was also located here. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song dynasty (in the Taiping Xingguo period), Bingzhou was renamed Taiyuan Prefecture, and its administrative center was moved to Yangqu (present-day Taiyuan city). Since then, the capitals of the Song, Jin, and Ming dynasties have all been located in this area.

Origin of the Yuichi Family Name#

The Yuichi family name has a simple origin. It comes from a Xianbei tribe in the northern regions during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which took its name from the tribe itself. During the Former Qin dynasty, Fu Jian conquered the Tuoba tribe of the Xianbei and established the Dai state. Later, Tuoba Yuan restored the state and changed its name to Wei, which is historically known as the Northern Wei. At the same time, a branch of the Xianbei tribe called the Yuichi tribe emerged, similar to the vassal states in China. The Yuichi tribe followed Emperor Xiaowen into the Central Plains and was granted the name Yuichi as their family name.

Migration and Distribution

The Yuichi family name does not rank among the top 100 most common family names in mainland China or Taiwan. The Yuichi name originally referred to a Xianbei tribe that migrated to China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. About 1,600 years ago, this tribe, along with the Tuoba tribe, moved to the Central Plains to fight for power. After a long period of battles, the Tuoba tribe eventually became emperors, and the Yuichi tribe gained significant status, becoming one of the vassal states of the Northern Wei dynasty. The emperors of the Northern Wei dynasty were impressed by the profound traditional Chinese culture and actively promoted it, adopting Han customs. Even the imperial family name was changed from Tuoba to Yuan. As a result, the Yuichi tribe adopted their tribal name as their family name. The prominent Yuichi family resided in Taiyuan, which was a commandery established by the Qin dynasty during the Warring States period, corresponding to present-day Taiyuan city in Shanxi province.

Hall Names

Diyu Hall, Zhongwu Hall: During the Tang dynasty, there was a noble named Yuichi Jingde, who held the title of Duke of E and had many military achievements. A treacherous minister accused him of plotting rebellion. When Emperor Taizong asked him about it, Jingde replied, “I have followed Your Majesty through countless battles, and those of us who are still alive are the survivors of those battles. Now that the world is at peace, do you still doubt my loyalty?” He then stripped off his clothes and threw them on the ground, asking Emperor Taizong to count the scars on his body. Emperor Taizong, moved to tears, comforted him. After Jingde’s death, he was posthumously honored with the title of Zhongwu (Loyal and Martial).

Notable People with the Yuichi Family Name

Yuichi Gong: A prominent general in the early Tang dynasty, also known as Jingde (586–658), from present-day Shuoxian County, Shanxi province. At the end of the Sui dynasty, he joined the army in Gaoyang and became famous for his bravery. He later joined Liu Wu Zhou in his uprising and later surrendered to the Tang dynasty. Under Emperor Taizong, he helped defeat Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and Liu Heita. In the early years of the Wude era, Emperor Taizong appointed him as a military advisor and he made many significant contributions, becoming one of Emperor Taizong’s trusted officials. During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he assisted Emperor Taizong in seizing the throne. When Emperor Taizong proposed to marry one of his daughters to him, Jingde refused, saying, “My wife may be unremarkable, but we have shared poverty for a long time. Although I am uneducated, I know that it is not traditional for the wealthy to change their wives. This is not what I wish for.” Consequently, Emperor Taizong did not go through with the marriage and awarded Jingde the title of Duke of E for his services.