rén 任

### Origins of the surname "Ren" 1. The surname "Ren" (formerly written as "Ren" with a "woman" radical, meaning pregnancy) is one of the oldest surnames in China. According to *Zuo Zhuan Zhengyi* (Commentary on *Zuo's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals*), after the era of Taihao, there were ten states, namely Xie, Zhang, Xue, Shu, Lü, Zhu, Zhong, Quan, Bi, and Guo, whose people all adopted the surname "Ren". 2. It originated from the "Feng" surname and was formed based on the name of a state. As recorded in *Tang Shu. Zai Xiang Shi Xi Biao* (Genealogies of Prime Ministers in the *Book of Tang*) and *Tong Zhi. Shi Zu Lue. Yi Guo Wei Shi* (General Records: A Summary of Surnames Based on States), there was a state named Ren during the Zhou Dynasty, located in present - day Jining County, Shandong Province. Later, the people there took the surname "Ren".