The He Family#

Surname: He, pronounced as “hè”

Distribution of the He Family#

• Huaiji Commandery: Established in the 25th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s reign (222 BCE) in the former territories of Wu and Yue, with its administrative center in Wuxian County (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). During the reign of Emperor Shun, Shanyin was added as another administrative center. The founding ancestor of this branch of the He family was Qingchun from the Han dynasty.
• Henan Commandery: Reorganized from the Qin’s Sanchuan Commandery in the 2nd year of Emperor Gaozu of Han’s reign (205 BCE), with its administrative center in Luoyang (northeast of present-day Luoyang, Henan). The founding ancestors of this branch descended from the Helan and Helai families of the Later Wei dynasty, who later changed their surname to He.
• Guangping Commandery: Established in the 6th year of Emperor Jing of Han’s reign (149 BCE) by splitting from the Handan Commandery, with its administrative center in Guangping (southeast of present-day Jize, Hebei).

Origin of the He Surname#

According to statistics from 1998, the He surname ranks 97th in popularity in China.

Origins of the “He” Surname#

1. Derived from the “Qing” surname: As recorded in the Tongzhi·Shizhu Lüe, during the Spring and Autumn period, Gongsun Qingke, a grandson of Duke Huan of Qi, adopted his father’s name as his surname. In the Eastern Han dynasty, a person named Qingchun served as an imperial attendant. Since the father of Emperor An of Han was Prince Qing of Qinghe, Qingchun changed his surname to He to avoid naming conflicts. The He surname thus originated in the 1st year of the Yongchu era (107 BCE).
2. Derived from Xianbei surnames: During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Xianbei Helan family adopted the Han surname He after migrating to the Central Plains with Emperor Xiaowen of Wei.

Migration and Distribution#

The He family spread throughout China, particularly after the Han dynasty, establishing significant family clans in various regions. According to the Yuanhe Xingcuan, Qingzhi’s grandson, He Qi, was a prominent general of the Wu state during the Three Kingdoms period. He Qi’s grandson, He Shao, served as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat; He Shao’s son, He Xiu, held a high position during the Western Jin dynasty. He Xiu’s 12th-generation descendant, He Deren, was a court official under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He Deren’s nephew, He Mo, became the governor of Pengzhou, and He Deren’s great-nephew, He Zhizhang, served as the Supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat during Emperor Xuanzong’s reign. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, other He families emerged in Qinghe (present-day Hebei), Laidu (now in Qinghai), Xinzhou-Dingxiang (now in Shanxi), Kaifeng-Chenliu (now in Henan), Caizhou (now in Henan), Luozhou (now in Henan), Jinan (now in Shandong), Kuaiji (now in Zhejiang), and other places.

Family Hall Names#

“Siming Tang” (Hall of Siming): He Zhizhang, a court official of the Tang dynasty, was renowned for his poetry and beautiful calligraphy. He could compose poems and write characters effortlessly even when intoxicated, earning him the nickname “Siming Kuangke” (Mad Man of Siming).

Famous He Family Members#

• He Zhizhang: (659–744), from Yongxing, Yuezhou (present-day Xiaoshan, Zhejiang), was a famous poet and calligrapher of the Tang dynasty. He left behind 20 poems, and his work “Hui Xiang Ou Shu” is widely celebrated. He lived to be 85 years old, making him one of the longest-lived members of the He family.
• He Yue: From Haiyan (now in Zhejiang), was a renowned physician of the Ming dynasty, author of works such as Ming Yi Hui Yao, Yi Jing Da Zhi, and Yao Xing Zhun Sheng.
• He Long: (1896–1969), originally named He Wenchang and styled Yunqing, from Sangzi, Hunan. A great proletarian revolutionary and military strategist, one of the founders and key leaders of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and a Marshal of the People’s Republic of China. He made significant contributions to China’s democratic and socialist revolutions and construction over a half-century-long revolutionary career.