Mi Clan#

Clan Name: Mi, Pronunciation: mí

Distribution of the Mi Clan#

• Donghai Commandery: Established during the Qin Dynasty, its administrative center was located in what is now Shandong Province. During the Western Han Dynasty, its territory corresponded to the areas south of Feixian and Linyi in Shandong, as well as parts of Guanyu in Jiangsu Province; north of Zaozhuang in Shandong and Guannan in Jiangsu. In the Eastern Wei and Sui-Tang periods, it extended to the area east of Donghai County in Jiangsu and north of the Huai River.
• Runan Commandery: Established by Emperor Gao of Han, it covered the central and southern parts of present-day Henan Province and the areas north of the Huai River in Anhui Province.

Origin of the Mi Clan#

The origin of the “Mi” surname can be traced to the following:

1. Originating in the Xia Dynasty: The surname was based on one’s profession and the type of crops they cultivated. During the Xia Dynasty, there were nobles with the same surname who specialized in growing crops such as millet and beans, among which “mí zǐ” (a type of millet) was a major crop. Cultivating such crops was an advanced form of production, as it guaranteed a reliable annual harvest. As a result, the people who grew mí zǐ became wealthy and prosperous. Their descendants continued to use the surname “Mi.” According to “Bai Jia Xing Kao Lüe,” “During the Xia Dynasty, some nobles with the surname Mi were descendants of these farmers.” Additionally, during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, there was a state named Mi, and its people adopted the surname “Mi” (as recorded in the “Zhou Shu”).
2. Derived from the Mi surname: In the Spring and Autumn period, a high-ranking official from the state of Chu was granted a fief at Mí Ting in Nan Commandery (present-day Runan, Henan), and his descendants adopted the name of the fief as their surname.
3. Also derived from the Mi surname: Another origin relates to a high-ranking official from the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. This official’s descendants adopted the name of his fief as their surname.
4. From the Mongolian culture: Some Mi surnames are a result of the Hanization of occupational titles.

Migration and Distribution: The Mi surname does not rank among the top 100 most common surnames in mainland China or Taiwan. It has a long history, dating back to the Xia Dynasty, and its name is derived from the name of a type of grain. A variant of millet, called “mí zǐ,” was a key crop, and those who specialized in its cultivation adopted the surname “Mi.” Another theory suggests that the surname originated from the name of a fief granted to an official in the state of Chu.

The Mi clan has a historical presence in the regions of Donghai (where the Donghai Commandery was established during the Han Dynasty, encompassing areas from southeastern present-day Yanzhou in Shandong to eastern Pí County and Ziyang in Shandong, as well as coastal areas).