The Pan Clan#

Clan Name: Pan, pronounced as “pān”

Regions Where the Pan Clan Is Found**#

Xingyang Commandery in Henan Province, Guangzong Commandery in Hebei Province, and Henan Commandery in Henan Province.

Origins of the Pan Clan#

1. The surname “Pan” originates from the “Ji” clan. It was adopted as a surname based on a place name. According to “Guangyun” and “Yuanhe Xingzuan,” Jisun, a son of Duke Bi of King Wen of Zhou, was granted the fief of “Pan,” and his descendants took the name of the fief as their surname.
2. It also originated from the “Mi” clan, where people adopted a character as their surname. According to “Tongzhi·Shizúpu” and “Pan Yue Jiapu,” during the Spring and Autumn period, there was a noble family of the Chu state named Pan Chong, who served as the grand tutor to Crown Prince Shangchen of Chu.
3. The surname “Pan” was also formed from the fusion of multiple clans of the Xianbei people. According to “Wei Shu·Guanzhi,” during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Northern Wei state had a clan named “Baluoluo” that migrated to Luoyang with Emperor Xiaowen of Wei and later adopted the Han surname “Pan.”

Migration and Distribution

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Pan clan mainly developed in what is now Hubei Province. Later, some members of the clan migrated to Shandong and Hunan. During the Han Dynasty, some Pan people moved north to Zhongmu in Xingyang (now part of Henan Province), where they became a prominent family, with Pan Xu, the Left Assistant to the Imperial Secretary during the reign of Emperor Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty, as their ancestor. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Pan Qian moved to Liyang in Jiangsu due to his official duties, and his descendants also settled there. In the Wu state, Pan Zhang, the Right General, moved from Faguan (now Guan County, Shandong Province) to Jiankang. There was also Pan?, the Marquis of Liuyang, from Hanshou (now Changde, Hunan Province), and Pan’s wife was from Kuaiji, Zhejiang. This indicates that the Pan clan had spread to these areas before the Three Kingdoms period, with the Zhongmu branch being the most prominent. During the Jin Dynasty, Pan Cai, a descendant of Pan Xu, became the governor of Guangzong (now Weixian, Hebei Province) and established another prominent branch of the clan there. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the “Baluoluo” clan adopted the Han surname “Pan” after migrating to Luoyang with Emperor Xiaowen of Wei. During this period, the Pan clan also spread to Guangdong.

Clan Honors and Branches

The Pan clan developed further during the Tang Dynasty. Chen Yuanguang and his son established the Zhang branch in Fujian, and Pan Jie from Gushi, Henan, followed them. Pan Qiu Ren, a great-grandson of Pan Shaoye, settled in Hangzhou. Some descendants of Pan Xu prospered in Shaanxi. Pan Su Ren from Jiangxia (now Wuchang, Hubei Province) claimed to be a descendant of Pan?. From the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, many branches of the Pan clan emerged from the Zhongmu branch. Descendants of Pan Wei became the third prominent branch in Luoyang, with Pan Shaoye’s eighth-generation descendant, Pan Cai, becoming the governor of Guangzong. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Pan clan’s influence expanded to Guangdong. The Pan clan’s influence also grew in Huai Shuo (now Guyang, Inner Mongolia) and Shaanxi-Gansu regions due to Pan Wei’s descendants. The Pan clan became a prominent family in Yuzhang during the Tang Dynasty and became a prominent clan in the Southern Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, some descendants of Pan Jie migrated to Guangdong and Yunnan. By the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Pan clan was distributed throughout China. Today, the Pan clan is widely found in provinces such as Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Sichuan, Hubei, and Zhejiang, accounting for approximately 69% of the total Han Chinese population with this surname. The Pan clan ranks 36th among the most common surnames in China, with a population of about 0.42% of the national total.

Clan Halls

• Huangmen Hall: Pan Yue of the Western Jin Dynasty served as the magistrate of Heyang, an imperial secretary, and a court official, hence the hall is named after this position. Since he was from Zhongmu in Xingyang (now part of Henan), it is also called the “Xingyang Hall.”
• Other notable clan halls include: Rongyang Hall, Chengzhi Hall, Ruzhao Hall, Huaxian Hall, Dúqing Hall, Yousu Hall, Yongyan Hall, Sijian Hall, Chunmao Hall, Huaguo Hall, and Shide Hall.

Notable People with the Pan Surname

• Pan Mei: A famous general in the early Song Dynasty, who played a key role in the conquests of Yangzhou, Dingling, and the northern expeditions against Taiyuan. He was granted the title of Duke of Hanguo and posthumously honored with the title “Wuhui.”
• Pan An: (Dates unknown–300 AD), from Zhongmu in the Western Jin Dynasty (now Zhongmu County, Henan Province), known for his graceful appearance and brilliant literary talent, especially in elegiac poetry. His works were widely recited. He was falsely accused of treason and executed, and his entire clan was persecuted