gōng yě 公冶

Migration and Distribution (Lack of information) The Gongye surname is not ranked among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. This double-barreled surname has a history of more than about 2,500 years up to now. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Ji Clan in the State of Lu was a prominent and prosperous clan that produced many monarchs. Among the Ji Clan members, there was a man named Ji Ye, with the courtesy name Gongye. He served as a subordinate official of the Ji Clan. His courtesy name is the origin of the Gongye surname. In addition, some people with the Gongye surname inherited the surname from Gongye Chang, a disciple of Confucius. Like many double-barreled surnames, the Gongye surname also transformed into a single-barreled surname and was gradually replaced by the Gong surname later. The ancestral home of the Gongye clan is in the Lu Commandery. They are mainly distributed in the areas of present-day Qufu and Sishui in Shandong Province.