Shěn

Shěn is the Mandarin Hanyu pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 沈.

Not to be confused with Shēn (surname) (申), Shèn (surname) (慎) or Shan (surname) (单).
Shen (沈)
PronunciationShěn (Mandarin)
Sim (Hokkien)
Shum (Cantonese)
Shim (Hakka)
Shim (Korean) [심]
Thẩm (Vietnamese)
Language(s)Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean
Origin
Language(s)Old Chinese
Meaningto sink
Other names
Variant form(s)Sim, Sam, Sheem, Sum, Sham
See alsoShum, Shim

Shen is the 14th surname in the Song-era Hundred Family Surnames.

Romanisation

沈 is romanised as Sum, Sem, Sam, or Shum in Cantonese; Sim in Hokkien; Shim in Hakka; Shim, (심) in Korean; and Thẩm in Vietnamese.

Less commonly, the same character can also be pronounced Zhen, which indicates a different origin from Shen.[1]

Distribution

Shen was the 52nd-most-common surname in mainland China in 2019 and ranked 40th in the 100 most common surnames in Taiwan in 2016.[2] According to China's 2013 Fuxi Cultural Research (中華伏羲文化研究會), there are approximately 5.5 million 沈's accounting for 0.41% of the Han Chinese population and placed 49th out of the 400 Chinese surnames in Mainland China. The highest concentration of 沈 is in the Eastern Chinese coastal provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.[3] As of the top 30 cities in China, top ranking last names rank 沈 as 6th most common in Hangzhou and 8th most common in Shanghai.[4]

In 2015, South Korea’s population of 沈 is less than 1% of the country’s population or 272,049 people. [5] In 2009, Singapore’s population of 沈 accounted for 0.9% of the city’s population or 23,800 people.[6] In 2006, Hangzhou's population of 沈 was 3.09% of the city's population or 202,358 people .[7]

Although Chinese make up the largest part of America's Asian and Pacific Islander population,[8] none of the romanizations of "沈" appeared among the 1000 most common surnames during the AD 2000 US census although "shen" ranked #3690, "shum" ranked #13,730, "shim" ranked #7576, "tham" ranked #21,829.[9] In the 1990 US census however, "shen" ranked #10,565, "shum" ranked #22,632, "shim" ranked #9771, "tham" ranked #28,237.[10]

Historical Ranking

Since the Northern Song Dynasty (960AD), 沈 has always been ranked above the top 60 surnames in China.[11]

List Number Dynasty or List Year Rank
1 Northern Song 北宋960-112714
2 Southern Song 宋朝1127-137954
3 Mongol Dynasty 元朝　1271-136860
4 Ming Dynasty 明朝　1368-164418
5 Chinese Academy of Social Sciences198228
6 Chinese Academy of Social Sciences198737
7 Chinese Language Institute List199545
8 Mainland 100 Surnames Investigation200649
9 Ministry of Public Security (中国公安部)200750
10 China Fuxi Cultural Research201349
11 Nationwide Survey List201051
12 Ministry of Public Security (中国公安部) Population Surname List201852
13 Ministry of Public Security (中国公安部) Population Surname List201952

Origin

As is common with Chinese surnames, the modern Shen family arose from various unrelated sources.

One origin traces it to the Shen (沈) kingdom in Runan County, Henan. These people were descended from Shao Hao, whose grandson was Zhuanxu's teacher and fathered Yun Ge and Tai Dai. Tai Dai was granted Shanxi for his achievements in controlling the flooding of the Yellow River and his descendants divided into four "kingdoms": the Shen, the Yi, the Ru, and the Huang. Electing not to participate in the northern kingdoms' campaign against Chu in 506 BC, Shen was invaded and destroyed by Cai. The rulers and vassals of the former state then bore the clan name Shen to distinguish themselves.

Another group descended from the rulers and vassals of the revived state of Shen after King Cheng granted it to the Zhou prince Ran Ji for suppressing the rebellion following the death of his brother King Wu.

A third group derived from the Mi (芈) family of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. Chu had conquered the area of Shen and, in 506 BC, its governor was Shenyin Shu – a Chu field marshal from a cadet branch of the royal house. He was killed in the Battle of Boju that year,[12][13] opposing a Wu invasion led by Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu. In his memory, some of his descendants and vassals adopted the clan name Shen for his fief, while others became the Ye after the fief granted to Shenyin Shu's son Shen Zhuliang, better known as the Duke of Ye (葉公, Ye Gong).[14]

Branches

The You clan (尤) is said to be a branch of the Shen clan, having simply removed the side-water radical 氵 from their surname sometime in the 10th century due to conflict with a different Shen (审) ruling family in Fujian Province.[1] Owing to this, the You and Shen continued to be unable to intermarry, just as if they were still a single clan.

The side-water radical (氵: shuǐ) plus (冘: yín) results in the Chinese character surname (沈: shěn).

Historical figures with the Surname
Shen Kuo (沈括)
  • Shen Kuo (沈括), Ancient Polymathic Scientist
  • Shen Yue (沈約), A poet, statesman, and historian
  • Shen Zhou (沈周), A Chinese painter in the Ming dynasty
  • Shen Faxing (沈法興), An official of the Chinese Sui dynasty
  • Shen Lun (沈倫), a scholar-official
  • Shen Wansan (沈万三), A businessman during the beginning of Ming Dynasty
  • Michael Shen Fu-Tsung (沈福宗), First Qing Chinese to have visited Europe
  • Shen Wuhua (沈婺華), An empress of Chen China
  • Shen Miaorong (沈妙容), An empress of the Chinese Chen Dynasty
  • Shen Quan (沈铨), a Chinese painter during the Qing Dynasty
  • Shen Guangwen (沈光文), a scholar, poet, educator
  • Shen Baozhen (沈葆禎), a Chinese official during the Qing dynasty
  • Shen Song (沈崧), a chancellor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Wuyue
  • Shen Shou (沈壽), a Chinese embroiderer during the late Qing and early Republican period
  • Shen Zemin (沈泽民), one of the earliest members of the Communist Party of China
  • James Shen (沈劍虹), a Taiwanese diplomat
  • Shen Hongying (沈鸿英), was a Chinese general & military governor of Guangdong
  • Shen Chunhe (沈春和), a Qing dynasty Chinese xiangsheng performer
  • Shen Jinjian (沈金鑑), a politician of the Republic of China

Modern figures with the Surname

 China

  • Shen Chunyao (沈春耀), director of the Hong Kong, Macau and Basic Law Commission
  • Shen Congwen (沈从文), one of the greatest modern Chinese writers
  • Shen Dingcheng (沈定成), a Chinese businessman and oil and gas executive
  • Shen Dingli (沈定立), professor and Associate Dean at Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies
  • Shen Dingyi (沈定一), a 1920s-era Chinese revolutionary and intellectual
  • Shen Duo (沈铎), a Chinese competitive swimmer
  • Shen Fu (director) (沈浮), Chinese film director
  • Shen Guojun (沈国军), US Dollar Billionaire, Chairman of Yintai Holdings in Beijing
  • Shen Hongfei (沈宏非), a writer, producer and food columnist in China
  • Shen Hui (Freeman) (沈晖), Founder & CEO of WM Motors (威马汽车)
  • Shen Jinlong (沈金龙), current commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy.
  • Shen Jingsi (沈静思), a Chinese volleyball player.
  • Shen Jun (businessman) (沈军), a Chinese billionaire businessman, founder of East Money Information
  • Shen Junru (沈钧儒), a Chinese lawyer, political figure
  • Shen Longyuan (沈龙元), a Chinese football player
  • Shen Nanpeng (Neil) (沈南鹏), US Dollar Billionaire, entrepreneur and investor based in Hong Kong
  • Shen Peiping (沈培平), a former Chinese politician from Yunnan province
  • Shen Shaomin (沈少民), an artist based in Sydney, and Beijing
  • Shen Shiwei (沈诗伟), CGTN News Producer
  • Shen Sinyan (沈星扬), an American physicist and classical composer
  • Shen Shixi (沈石溪), a bestselling children's author
  • Shen Teng (沈腾), a Chinese comedian and actor
  • Shen Tianfeng (沈田峰), a Chinese football player
  • Shen Tianhui (沈天慧), renowned chemist and professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • Shen Tong (沈彤), a Chinese American social activist, impact investor, writer
  • Shen Wei (沈伟), Chinese-born American choreographer, visual artist, and director
  • Shen Wenrong (沈文荣), US Dollar Billionaire, Primary owner of Shagang Steel in Jiangsu province
  • Shen Xiqiang (沈锡强), US Dollar Billionaire, Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Yoke Technology
  • Shen Xiaoming (沈晓明), a Chinese politician, serving since 2017 as the Governor of Hainan
  • Shen Ya (Eric) (沈亚), US Dollar Billionaire, founder & largest shareholder of Vishop (fast growing e-com business)
  • Shen Yanfei (沈燕飞), a Chinese-born table tennis player
  • Shen Yiyang (沈一扬), Carbon Market Expert at Asian Development Bank (亚洲开发银行)
  • Shen Yongping (沈勇平), a Chinese filmmaker
  • Shen Yue (沈月), a Chinese actress
  • Shen Yueyue (沈跃跃), a Chinese politician
  • Shen Zhihua (沈志华), a professor of history at East China Normal University
  • Shen Zulun (沈祖伦), a politician of the People's Republic of China

Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia & Singapore

Harry Shum (沈向洋)
  • Shen Chang-huan (沈昌煥), Minister of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan)
  • Shen Che-Tsai (沈哲哉), a Taiwanese painter
  • Shen Chun-shan (沈君山), Taiwanese academic
  • Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), Minister of Economic Affairs (Taiwan)
  • Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡), a Taiwanese diplomat
  • Shen Weijun (沈炜竣), a Singaporean actor and singer
  • Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴), Deputy Minister of National Defense (Taiwan)
  • Shen Xing (沈星), Female Phoenix TV Entertainment host
  • Shen Jin yi (沈瑾晹), Female journalist of TVBS, Taiwan
  • Jerry Shen (沈振來), CEO of Asus
  • Stephen Shen (沈世宏), Minister of Environmental Protection Administration of the Republic of China
  • Jess Sum (沈卓盈), an actress in Hong Kong under TVB
  • Lydia Shum (沈殿霞), a Hong Kong comedian, MC, and actress
  • Mina Shum (沈小艾), independent Canadian filmmaker
  • Harry Shum (沈向洋), Executive Vice President of Artificial Intelligence & Research at Microsoft
  • Sim Tong Him (沈同钦), a Malaysian politician.
  • Sim Wong Hoo (沈望傅), CEO & Chairman of Creative Technology
  • Ron Sim (沈財福), founder of OSIM International
  • Jack Sim (沈銳華), founder of Restroom Association of Singapore, the World Toilet Organization
  • Sim Ann (沈颖), Singapore Senior Minister of State
  • Desmond Sim (沈？？), Singaporean playwright
  • Jasmine Sim (沈家玉), Singaporean actress
  • Sheila Sim (Singaporean actress) (沈琳宸)

References
  1. Tan, Thomas Tsu-wee. Your Chinese Roots. ISBN 981-204-481-7.
  2. Template:臺灣前一百大姓氏
  3. "https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/812045821385817892.html"
  4. "https://www.douban.com/group/topic/23803598/"(Chinese)
  5. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Korean_surnames"(Korean)
  6. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_Chinese_surnames#Singapore"(Singapore)
  7. "http://qjwb.thehour.cn/html/2006-10/02/content_1228324.htm
  8. United States Census Bureau. "Census 2000: Chinese Largest Asian Group in the United States". 4 Mar 2002. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.
  9. United States Census Bureau. "Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000 Archived 2009-12-21 at the Wayback Machine". 27 Sept 2011. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.
  10. US Census Bureau. Op. cit. Public Broadcasting Service. "How Popular Is Your Last Name?" Accessed 6 Apr 2012.
  11. "https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%A7%93%E6%B0%8F%E6%8E%92%E5%90%8D"(Chinese)
  12. "沈尹戍 [Shenyin Shu]". (in Chinese)
  13. "柏舉之戰 [Battle of Boju]" (in Chinese). Ministry of Defense. 22 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  14. "葉姓來源及郡望堂號 Archived 2012-04-25 at the Wayback Machine." (in Chinese)
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