Yuan (surname)

Yuan (surname)

Yuan (袁, ) is a Chinese surname ranked 37th in China by population. In Standard Chinese, the surname is transliterated "Yuán" (pinyin) or "Yüen2" (Wade-Giles). Regional variants include "Yeu" (Shanghainese), "Ion" (Nanchang Gan), "Yuen" (Cantonese), "Oan" (Min Nan), "Won" (Korean), and "Viên" (Vietnamese). Pronunciation differs widely from region to region.

According to tradition, the surname originated from a noble family of the ancient state of Chen, in what is now eastern Henan province. The written form of the character took its current standardised form around the 1st century. During the Han Dynasty, it was associated with the powerful Yuan clan of Ru'nan and later during Jin and Southern Dynasties, with the Yuan clan of Chen.

Historically, the name has been fast growing amongst Han Chinese, and has also been taken up by various non-Chinese ethnic groups. The surname is now held by more than 6.5 million people worldwide, and makes up 0.54% of the population of mainland China. Although growth has tapered off in the past six centuries, the Yuan name is still relatively widespread throughout China, as well as among overseas Chinese, with heaviest per capita concentrations in the Yangtze Delta region of central coastal China.

Because the Yangtze Delta region has historically exhibited high clan consciousness, there exist a large number of Yuan genealogies, most of which are now held in public institutions. Renewed interest in ancestry outside mainland China has been encouraged by the PRC government.