The Yin Clan#

Clan Name: Yin
Pronunciation: yīn

Regions Where the Yin Clan Is Found**#

• Ruanan Commandery: Established in the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty (203 BCE). Its administrative center was Pingyu (now part of Henan Province), covering the area from present-day Shangcai County in Henan to the region north of the Huai River in Anhui Province.
• Chen Commandery: Originally part of the Huaiyang Kingdom during the Western Han Dynasty and later the Chen Kingdom. It was renamed Chen Commandery during the reign of Emperor Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty, with its administrative center in Chen County (now Huaiyang County, Henan Province). During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was known as Chenzhou Huaiyang Commandery.

Origins of the Yin Clan**#

The Yin Clan ranks 104th among Chinese surnames in popularity, with a population of about 0.16% of the total Han Chinese population. It is widely distributed across China, particularly in provinces such as Shandong, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hebei, and Shaanxi, where it accounts for approximately 58% of the total Yin Clan population in China.

Origins of the Surname “Yin”:

There are three theories regarding the origin of the Yin Clan:

1. Deriving from the zi (son) surname: According to historical records such as “Fengsu Tong,” “Yuanhe Xingzuan,” and “Tongzhi·Shizhu Lue,” Pangeng moved from Yan (an ancient city located in present-day Qufu, Shandong) to Yin (an ancient city in northwestern Anyang, Henan), which led to the name “Yin Shang” (Yin Dynasty). After King Wu of Zhou overthrew King Zhou of Shang, he enfeoffed King Zhou’s half-brother, Weizi Qi, in Song. Those who were not granted fiefs took the name of their former state, thus adopting the surname Yin.
2. Derived from the name of the river surrounding the settlement: As recorded in “Tongzhi·Shizhu Lue” and “Xingshi Jiju Pian,” there was a river called the Yin River in Yuzhou, Henan, and the inhabitants took the name of the river as their surname.
3. Changing from another surname: Some members of the clan changed their surname due to various reasons.

Ancestral Founder of the Yin Clan:
Yin Qi was the son of Emperor Ku and is considered the legendary founder of the Shang tribe. His mother, Jian Di, conceived after eating a swallow egg, and he was thus given the zi surname. Yin Qi served as the Minister of Education during the reign of Emperor Shun and was later granted a fief in Shang (southwest of present-day Shangqiu, Henan) for his contributions to controlling floods. His descendant, Cheng Tang, established the Shang Dynasty. The capital was moved five times, and during the reign of Pangeng, the dynasty was relocated to Yin (around present-day Anyang, Henan), which is how the name “Yin Shang” came about. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed Weizi Qi in Song to preserve the memory of King Tang.

Migration and Distribution:

During the Pre-Qin period, the Yin Clan was active in various regions, including Wei in Henan, Wei in the Ji-Lu area, and Qin in the Shaanxi-Sichuan region. However, Henan remained the main center of the Yin Clan. By the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Yin clan gathered in Heyang, present-day Qinyang City, Henan. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Yin Clan was also found in Kuaiji, Zhejiang. In the early Western Han Dynasty, they migrated south to the Ruanan and Xihua areas along the upper Huai River, forming the prominent Yin clan there. During the Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasties, they moved southeast across the Yangtze River into the Jiangnan region. By the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Yin Clan had become a significant force in Jiangsu. By the Ming Dynasty, there were about 120,000 members of the Yin Clan, accounting for 0.13% of the national population, ranking 130th in popularity. Jiangsu was the province with the largest population of the Yin Clan, accounting for approximately 36% of the total. The main concentrations of the Yin Clan were in Jiangsu, Shandong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, which together accounted for 69% of the total population.

Contemporary Distribution:

Today, the Yin Clan has a population of nearly 1.7 million, ranking 111st among Chinese surnames, with a population proportion of about 0.14% of the national total. The Yin Clan is most prevalent in Yunnan and Jiangsu, accounting for approximately 44% of the national total, followed by Anhui, Shandong, Hubei, and Hebei, which together account for another 20%. Yunnan has the largest population of the Yin Clan, accounting for about 31% of the national total. The distribution of the Yin Clan is uneven, with high concentrations in certain regions.

Notable Individuals with the Yin Surname:

• Yin Shubai: A painter from Jiaxing, Zhejiang, known for his floral paintings influenced by Chen Chun and Yun Shouping. His works, such as “Lengzhu Hanquan Tu,” “Jiming Tu,” and “Sanyou Tu,” are highly regarded.
• Yin Fu: A martyr and leader of the Chinese Communist Party who wrote revolutionary poems and translated works by the Hungarian democratic revolutionary Petőfi.