The Geng Surname#

Surname: Geng, pronounced as "gěng"

Distribution of the Geng Surname#

• Gaoyang Commandery: Originally part of the Gaoyang Commandery during the Warring States period. During the Northern Wei dynasty, the Qingzhou Gaoyang Commandery was established, located in the area around present-day Linzi, Shandong Province.
• Fufeng Commandery: Established during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han as the Right Fufeng Commandery. During the Three Kingdoms period, its administrative center was in Huaili (southeast of present-day Xingping, Shaanxi Province); it was later moved to Chiyang (northwest of present-day Jingyang, Shaanxi Province), and during the Northern Wei dynasty, to Haochou (east of present-day Qian County, Shaanxi Province).
• Hedong Commandery: Established in the early Qin dynasty. This commandery corresponded to the area east of the Yellow River in present-day Shanxi Province, including Xia County.

Origins of the Geng Surname#

There are four main origins of the Geng surname:

1. Derived from the Zi surname: The surname originated from a place name. According to "Shixing Kaolüe," "Shiji·Yin Benji," and other sources, during the Shang dynasty, there was a king named Zuyi who moved the capital from Xiang to Xing (also known as Geng). Later, Pangeng moved the capital to Hao. Xing is located east of present-day Wen County, Henan Province. In ancient times, "Xing" was pronounced as "Geng." After Pangeng moved the capital, some of the Shang nobility did not follow him and remained in Xing, adopting the name Geng as their surname. To distinguish this from the Xing surname, which is pronounced differently, the spelling was changed to Geng.
2. Derived from the Ji surname: The state of Geng was established during the Shang dynasty. After the Zhou dynasty took power, the descendants of the Geng state became officials and adopted the state name as their surname.
3. Also derived from the Ji surname: During the Zhou dynasty, people with the same surname were granted fiefs in the Geng area, which later became a vassal state. This branch of the Geng family adopted the state name as their surname.
4. Derived from other ethnic groups or name changes: For example, people from Goryeo in Qing dynasty settled in Bochuan Commandery; Manchus in Qing dynasty settled in Shenyang; the Yugur people with the surname Gergez adopted the Chinese surname Geng; members of the Qiang ethnic group also changed their surname to Geng. This surname is also found among Manchu, Mongolian, Tujia, and Xibe peoples today.

Ancestral Founder of the Surname:
Zuyi, the 14th ruler of the Shang dynasty, was the son of He Jia. He moved the capital from Xiang to Geng to deal with the threats from the eastern tribes. He appointed wise wizards to govern the country and personally led the military, defeating the eastern tribes and strengthening the Shang dynasty. When Pangeng succeeded him, the nobility who remained in Geng adopted the local name as their surname.

Migration and Spread:
The Geng surname originated in present-day Wen County, Henan Province, and gradually spread to Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi provinces during the Shang, Zhou, and Qin dynasties. During the Western Han dynasty, Geng people became more prominent, with Geng Shouchang receiving the title of Marquis of Guannei. His descendants settled in Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi Province). Other notable Geng figures include Geng Yu, Geng Feng, Geng Chang, and Geng Ding. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, officials and heroes were relocated to Fufeng Maoling (norththeast of present-day Xingping, Shaanxi Province). A prominent branch of the Geng family emerged during the Eastern Han dynasty, with six sons—Geng ×, Geng Shu, Geng Guo, Geng Guang, Geng Ju, and Geng Ba—who achieved great military success. Many members of this branch held high positions in the Han dynasty, including two generals, nine generals, thirteen ministers, nineteen marquises, and one who married a royal princess.

Difficulties in Pronunciation:
The ancient pronunciation of "Xing" was similar to "Geng," leading to the spelling change to differentiate the two names.

Notes on Variant Pronunciations:

• In some cases, the surname "Xing" could also be pronounced differently, but the script was standardized as "Geng" to avoid confusion.

The Geng surname has a long history and a wide distribution across China, with significant populations in Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and other provinces. It is one of the more common surnames in China, with a population of about 0.076% of the total Han population.