The Dai Clan#

Surname: Dai, pronounced as “dài”

Regions Where the Dai Clan is Found**#

Bo County in Anhui Province, Yangzhou City in Jiangsu Province, Qinghe County in Hebei Province

Origins of the Dai Clan#

The origin of the “Dai” surname can be traced to several different sources:

1. Using a posthumous title as a surname: This originated from the Zi surname and is descended from King Tang of the Shang Dynasty. According to the “Yuanhe Xing Zuan” and “Gujin Xingshi Shu Bianzheng,” in the early Zhou Dynasty, Duke Dan of Zhou granted the title of Duke Dai to Qi (of the Zi surname), the illegitimate son of King Zhou of Shang, and established the State of Song in the former capital of Shang (located south of present-day Shangqiu, Henan Province). The 11th ruler of the State of Song (reigning from 799–766 BC), whose name is unknown in history, was posthumously honored with the title “Dai Gong.” His descendants then adopted the surname “Dai.”

2. Using the name of a state as a surname: This branch of the clan originated from the State of Dai, a ducal state during the Spring and Autumn period. This lineage also possibly stemmed from the Ji surname.

3. From the Ji surname: There were individuals with the surname Dai within the state of Wei. For example, Dai Gong and Dai Bo from the state of Cao both had the Ji surname. Duke Huan of Lu had a son named Xi Shuya, who in turn had a son named Dai Bozi, also of the Ji surname. During the 15th year of Duke Xuan’s reign, there was a court official named Zhao Dai Gong, also of the Ji surname.

4. The Yin clan changing to the Dai surname: According to the “Shu Pu,” some members of the Yin clan adopted the Dai surname after the fall of the Shang Dynasty. After King Wu of Zhou conquered Shang, many remnants of the Yin clan used the name of their former state as their surname. This branch of the Dai clan also originated in Henan.

5. Changing surnames from other ethnic groups: For instance, members of the Manchu Dalchonga and Daijia tribes, as well as the Ewenki Tuakedong tribe, adopted the Dai surname. Other ethnic groups such as the Mongols, Hui, Yao, and Tujia also have people with the Dai surname.

6. Chi You, the military leader: Chi You, the leader of the rebel forces, also had the surname Dai.

Progenitor of the Dai Clan

After Duke Dan of Zhou suppressed the rebellion led by Wu Geng, he granted the title of Duke Dai to Qi, the illegitimate son of King Zhou of Shang, and established the State of Song with its capital in Shangqiu. The 11th ruler of the State of Song (reigning from 799–766 BC) was posthumously honored with the title “Dai Gong.” His descendants adopted the surname “Dai.”

Population Distribution of the Dai Clan

The current population of the Dai clan is nearly 4.3 million, making it the 57th most common surname in China, accounting for about 0.34% of the national population. The population of the Dai clan has been increasing over the past 1,000 years, since the Song Dynasty. The clan is primarily concentrated in Anhui, Hubei, and Jiangsu provinces, accounting for approximately 34% of the total Dai population. Additional significant populations are found in Hunan, Sichuan, Guangdong, Chongqing, Zhejiang, and Guizhou, which together account for another 36% of the total Dai population. Anhui Province is home to the largest number of Dai people, accounting for 12% of the total Dai population. The distribution of the Dai clan extends from the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang along the Yangtze River to Sichuan and Guizhou. Over the past 600 years since the Ming Dynasty, the main migration trend has been from the eastern to the central and western regions of China; however, migration to the northeast has also become a significant direction. The frequency of the Dai surname in different regions shows that it is commonly found in areas such as Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, most of Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan. In the southeastern regions of Shandong and Henan, as well as in parts of Shaanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia, the Dai surname accounts for more than 0.33% of the local population, with some areas reaching over 1%. These regions cover approximately 34.6% of China’s total area and are home to about 76% of the Dai population.

Notable People with the Dai Surname

• Dai Shulun (732–789): A poet of the Tang Dynasty, also known as You Gong or Ci Gong. From Jintan, Runzhou (now part of Jiangsu). He studied under Xiao Yingshi in his youth and held various administrative positions before retiring to become a Taoist priest. His poetry often depicts a reclusive lifestyle and a carefree spirit, but works like “Nv Geng Tian Xing” and “Tun Tian Ci” reflect the hardships of people’s lives. He advocated that the scenery in poetry should be like the warm sun over Lantian, beautiful but out of reach.

• Dai Song: A painter of the Tang Dynasty known for depicting rural landscapes and water buffaloes. He was famous along with Han Hao and Ma Qi, and the three were collectively known as “Han Ma Dai Niu” (Han, Ma, and Dai, the