The Long Family Name#

Family Name: Long, Pronunciation: lóng

Distribution of the Long Family Name#

Wu Ling Jun (Wuling Commandery)#

Established during the reign of Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty, its administrative center was located in Yi Ling (now south of Xupu, Hunan Province). This region corresponds to present-day Changyang, Wufeng, Hefeng, Laifeng in Hubei, as well as areas west of the Yuanjiang River in Hunan, and parts of eastern Guizhou and Sanjiang and Longsheng in Guangxi. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the administrative center was moved to Lin Yuan (now west of Changde, Hunan Province).

Tian Shui Jun (Tianshui Commandery)#

Founded in the third year of Yuan Ding during the Western Han Dynasty (114 BCE), its center was in Ping Xiang (now northwest of Tongwei, Gansu Province). In the Western Jin Dynasty, it was relocated to Shang? (now Tianshui City), and during the Northern Wei Dynasty, its territory included present-day Tianshui, Qin An, and Gan Gu.

Wu Yang Jun (Wuyang Commandery)#

In the Sui Dynasty, Wei Zhou was renamed Wu Yang Jun, with its center in Gui Xiang (now northeast of Daming, Hebei Province). During the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Wei Zhou again. Its territory included present-day Daming, Ci County, She County, Wu An, Lin Zhang, Fei County, Wei County, Qiu County, Cheng An, Guang Ping, Guan Tao in Hebei, Hua County, Jun County, Neihuang in Henan, and Guan County in Shandong.

Tai Yuan Jun (Taiyuan Commandery)#

Established in the fourth year of Zhuang Xiang Wang of the Warring States period (246 BCE), its center was in Jin Yang (now southwest of Taiyuan City). During the Northern Wei Dynasty, its territory corresponded to the Jin Zhong area between present-day Yang Qu, Jiaocheng, and Ping Yao.

Wu Chang Jun (Wuchang Commandery)#

In 221 CE, Sun Quan established this commandery from the merger of Jiang Xia, Yu Zhang, and Lu Ling commanderies, with its center in Wu Chang. During the Western Jin Dynasty, its territory included areas south of the Yangtze River in Hubei, as well as parts of Jiujiang and Rui County in Jiangxi.

Nanyang Jun (Nanyang Commandery)#

Established in the thirty-fifth year of King Zhao of Qin during the Warring States period (272 BCE), its center was in present-day Nanyang, Henan Province. The Han Dynasty's jurisdiction covered areas south of Xiong Er Mountain in Henan and between Ying Shan and Yun County in Hubei. This commandery gradually shrunk in size and was abolished at the beginning of the Sui Dynasty. Long Shu was the governor of Shan Du, a county under Nanyang Jun.

Origins of the Long Family Name#

The origins of the Long family name are often associated with mythology and are therefore difficult to verify in detail. There are seven possible sources:

1. From a minister of the Yellow Emperor named Long Xing: According to "Shi Xing Lu Yuan" and "Zhu Shu Ji Nian," Long Xing was a minister of the Yellow Emperor who lived in You Xiong (now Xincheng, Henan Province), giving rise to the Long family in Henan.

2. From descendants of Long Na Yan during the reign of Emperor Shun: Long Na Yan held an official position responsible for financial affairs. His descendants adopted his title as their family name. Since Emperor Shun's activities were mainly in the southern part of Shanxi, this branch of the Long family originated there. This lineage has been passed down for over two thousand years and reached the Han Dynasty, with notable figures like Long Mian, who was appointed as the county magistrate of Shan Du and later promoted to the position of governor of Lingling during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of Han.

3. From descendants of the ancient mythological figure Yu Long: According to "Shi Xing Kao Lue," the Long family name originated from the Yu Long clan, with their ancestral home in Tianshui. For example, Liu Lei, a descendant of Yu Long from the Xia Dynasty, was granted the title "Yu Long" for his skill in taming dragons. His descendants adopted this name.

4. From descendants of the ancient Huan Long clan: According to "Tong Zhi·Shi Zu Lue" and other sources, the Huan Long clan was skilled in raising dragons and was granted this name by Emperor Shun.

5. From the ancient ????? region in the Western Han Dynasty: The Long family name was common in this region, as recorded in "Hua Yang Guo Zhi."

6. From place names: Some families adopted the name of their place of origin. For instance, during the Spring and Autumn period, a noble from Chu named Shi Cai lived in Long (now Longxiang, southwest of Tai'an, Shandong), and his descendants adopted this name.

7. From other sources and minority ethnic groups: Various minority ethnic groups in China, such as the Miao, Pumi, Hani, Yi, Dong, Yao, and Shui, also have the Long family name.

Hall Names#

The following hall names are associated with the Long family:

• Shi Shi Tang (Hall of the Venerable Teacher), Ba De Tang (Hall of the Eight Virtues), and Dun Hou Tang (Hall of Integrity and Frugality): These three hall names are associated with Long Shu, who was known for his integrity and frugality. Ma Yuan wrote a letter encouraging his nephew to follow Long Shu's virtues, which the emperor recognized, promoting Long Shu to the position of governor.

• Jing De Tang (Hall of Virtue): This hall name comes from Long Qi Duan of