Qin Family History

Chinese:: Mandarin form of the surname 秦: (i) from Qin (秦) the name of a state (located in present-day Gansu province) originally granted to Fei Zi by King Xiao of Zhou (died 886 BC). The state of Qin eventually unified all of China under one rule for the first time in history. In 221 BC Ying Zheng (259—210 BC) known as ‘Qin Shi Huang’ established the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and became the first Emperor. During his reign he built the Great Wall and regularized the writing of Chinese characters and units of measures. After the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206 BC people kept 秦 the name of the state as their surname. (ii) from the placename Qin (秦) the name of a fief (located in Fanxian in Henan province) granted to nobles of the state of Lu (located mainly in present-day Shandong province) who were descendants of Bo Qin a grandson of King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). Mandarin form of the surname 琴 denoting a type of ancient Chinese musical instrument: (i) from the first element of Qin Lao (琴牢) personal name of an official who lived in the state of Wey during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) and was reputed as a student of Confucius (551–479 BC). (ii) possibly borne by descendants of the ancient musicians who played musical instruments for public entertainment. Mandarin form of the surname 覃: surname that originated among minority ethnic groups in ancient southern China. The character 覃 also has another Mandarin pronunciation Tan which has a different origin; see Tan Mandarin form of the surname 欽 a surname from the Wu Huan ethnic group in northern China during the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). Mandarin form of the surname 勤 meaning ‘diligent’ in Chinese: from the first element of the personal name Qin Cheng (勤成) an official in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022