What is the historical origin of the Shí surname?
The Shí surname (pronounced "shī" as a surname, and in some areas "chí" or "cī"), according to the pre-Qin classic "Shiwben," originates from the Zǐ surname, being descendants of the junior branch of King Tang of Shang. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Prince Weizi Qi of the Shang king Di Yi was enfeoffed in Song, later passing his position to his younger brother Weizhong Yan. His descendant, the Song state minister Gongzi Lai, was enfeoffed in Shiyi, and his descendants took the place name as their surname. The Shí surname is a surname group with multiple ethnic groups and sources. It currently ranks 189th in the list of surnames, with a population of about 664,000, accounting for approximately 0.041% of the total national population.
Where are the Shí surnames mainly distributed today?
The Shí surname is widely distributed. Today, it can be found in places such as Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province; Beijing; Wuqing District, Tianjin; Donghai County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province; Pei County, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province; Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province; Suqian, Jiangsu Province; Wuhai, Inner Mongolia; Shangyi, Jize, Pingxiang, Fuping, Wuchang, Hejian, Hebei; Pinyi, Laiwu, Qingzhou, Shandong; Qingyang, Pingliang, Gansu; Xinzheng, Kaifeng, Ruyang, Luoyang, Yuzhou, Jiaxian, Lushan, Xuchang, Changyuan, Nanyang, Xincai, Shangcai, Anhui; Chuzhou, Anhui; Bengbu, Anhui; Fuyang, Anhui; Zhijiang, Hunan; Tlin, Quanzhou, Guanyang Shuiche Township (Lingxi Commandery - Xiaosi Hall, migrated from Anhui during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty), Congjiang, Guizhou; Hekou, Yunnan; Fushun, Liaoning; Shilou Town, Shandong; Dingshan Town, Pengze, Jiangxi, etc. This surname exists among Han, Manchu, and Lisu ethnic groups. There are figures such as Shizi in the "Mencius," a wise man from Qi; Shinong in the "New Treatise"; Shimiao, a person from Julu during the Han Dynasty, serving as the magistrate of Shouchun; Shipu, a person from Pengcheng during the Tang Dynasty, serving as the military governor of Wuning; Shiqing during the Song Dynasty; Shizhong during the Ming Dynasty; and Shirui, a person from Shaowu, serving as the assistant official of Changsha Prefecture.
