The Ge Clan#

Surname: Ge, Pronunciation: gě

Distribution of the Ge Clan#

Dunqiu County, Henan; Liangguo County, Anhui; Jurong County, Jiangsu

Origins of the Ge Clan#

1. The name “Ge” originates from the “Ying” surname. It was adopted as a clan name after the state of Ge during the Xia Dynasty, which was located in what is now Changge County, Henan. This is recorded in “Mencius · Teng Wen Gong,” which mentions that Tang lived in Hao and was neighbors with Ge Bo. Later, the Ge clan emerged from this lineage.
2. The Ge surname also resulted from the transformation of a compound surname of the Xianbei people. According to the “Wei Shu · Guan Shi Zhi,” during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the northern Wei dynasty had a compound surname called “He Ge.” After the people of He Ge moved south with Emperor Xiaowen of Wei to Luoyang, they settled in the Central Plains and adopted the Han surname “Ge.” Another theory suggests that the Ge clan is descended from the ancient Ge Tian tribe, possibly predating the era of Fuxi.

Migration and Distribution Although the claim that the Ge clan originated from the ancient Ge Tian tribe is not entirely conclusive, it is widely accepted that the Ge surname originated in Henan. For a long time after its establishment, the Ge clan thrived in the Central Plains. During the reign of King Cheng of Zhou, there was a person named Ge You from the Qiang tribe who moved to Sichuan and settled in Suishan, southwest of Emei Mountain. This indicates that the Ge clan had already migrated to Sichuan by the early Western Zhou period. The “Records of the Grand Historian · The Family of Chen She” mentions that Ge Ying from Fuli led troops and conquered areas east of Qi. During the Qin Dynasty, the Ge clan had settled in Anhui. The “Yuan He Xing Zuan” states that during the Western Han Dynasty, there was Ge Xing, the governor of Yingchuan, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was Ge Gong, who served as the governor of Dangyin and Linfen, both descendants of Ge Xing. Ge Gong, also known as Yuanfu, was from Ningling in the Liang state (now part of Henan). Other notable individuals from the Eastern Han Dynasty include Ge Xing, mentioned in the “Han Zhuan,” and Ge Zhi, the governor of Jiaozhi, who was captured by bandits.

During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, turmoil and warfare led to migrations of the Ge clan from Henan to other regions. While the Ge clan in Jurong continued to thrive, some members moved to the south. For example, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong, known for his alchemy, moved to Guangzhou with his sons and nephews. By the Sui and Tang dynasties, due to wars, natural disasters, and official reassignments, the Ge clan spread to various provinces including Shandong, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, and Guangdong. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the famous general Ge Congzhou moved from Juancheng, Shandong, to Boyi Township, Yanshi County. During the Song dynasties, the Ge clan flourished in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. Ge Lifang moved from Danyang to Wuxing, Huzhou, and Ge Tianmin moved from Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), to Huangyan, Taizhou.

From the Qing Dynasty onwards, the Ge clan began to migrate overseas, especially to Taiwan. Today, the Ge clan is widely distributed across China, with the largest populations in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, accounting for about 36% of the total Han Chinese with this surname.

Notable Individuals with the Ge Surname#

Ge Hong (约 250–330): A native of Jurong during the Jin Dynasty, also known as Baopuzi, he was interested in immortality and alchemy. He was appointed as an official by Emperor Yuan and granted the title of Marquis of Guannei for his contributions to suppressing rebels. He wrote the “Baopuzi” book, which describes alchemy and outlines theories of eternal life. Ge Hong is also considered the founder of the paint-making tradition.