yàn 晏

Migration and Distribution (Information missing) The Yan surname is not ranked among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The Yan surname originated from the Jiang surname. In ancient times, Huangdi was a well - known clan and tribe leader, and his clan worshiped the dragon totem. Huangdi had a grandson named Zhuanxu, who was also a famous clan and tribe leader. Zhuanxu had a great - grandson named Yan'an, and Yan'an is the ancestor of the Yan surname. During the Spring and Autumn Period, a high - ranking official in the Qi State was enfeoffed in Yan (present - day Yancheng, northwest of Qihe County, Shandong Province). His descendants took the name of the fief as their surname and were called the Yan clan. Passed down from generation to generation, the current Yan surname was formed. The prominent families of the Yan surname resided in the Qi Commandery, which is present - day Linzi area in Shandong Province. The Yan surname is a relatively rare surname today, but it is widely distributed. It accounts for about 0.027% of the Han population in the whole country and ranks 241st. There are particularly many people with this surname in Hubei, Sichuan, and Jiangxi provinces. The Yan surname population in these three provinces accounts for 82% of the Han Yan surname population in the country.