Ban (surname)
Ban is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 班 in Chinese character. It is romanized Pan in Wade–Giles. Ban is listed 235th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[1] It is not among the 300 most common surnames in China.[2] In 2013 it was the 269th most common surname 273,000 shared by people, comprising 0.021% of the total population and the provincial level unit with the most people having the name being Guangxi.
| Pronunciation | Ban (Mandarin) |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Chinese |
| Meaning | Stripes (of a tiger) |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Pan |
Origin
The surname Ban originated from Mi 芈, the royal surname of the State of Chu of ancient China. Dou Gouwutu (鬬穀於菟; fl. 7th century BC), a grandson of the Chu ruler Ruo'ao, was said to have been abandoned as an infant and nursed by a tigress. His given name Gouwutu, meant nursed (穀 gòu, milk) by a tiger (於菟 wūtú, tiger) in the Chu language. Dou Gouwutu grew up to become a general and the Prime Minister of Chu. His descendants adopted Ban (meaning "stripes", an allusion to tiger's stripes) as their surname.[3]
Notable people
- Consort Ban (c. 48 BC – 6 AD), scholar, poet, and consort of Emperor Cheng of Han
- Ban Biao (3–54), Han dynasty historian, nephew of Consort Ban
- Ban Gu (32–92), historian and son of Ban Biao, main author of the Book of Han
- Ban Chao (32–102), general, explorer, and diplomat, son of Ban Biao
- Ban Zhao (45 – c. 116), the first female Chinese historian, daughter of Ban Biao
- Ban Yong (died c. 128), Eastern Han general and governor of the Western Regions, son of Ban Chao
- Ban Yong (班勇; born 1989), professional football player
- Ban Jiajia (班嘉佳), Bouyei actress and model
See also
References
- "百家姓" [Hundred Family Surnames] (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
- 中国最新300大姓排名（2008） [300 most common surnames in China (2008)] (in Chinese). Taiwan.cn. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
- 班姓起源,名人及家谱 [Origin and famous people of the Ban surname] (in Chinese). Shangdu. 2008-07-17. Archived from the original on 2013-07-14. Retrieved 2014-10-14.