Yun Family History

Korean: written 윤 in Chinese characters 尹 meaning ‘govern’. Although some records indicate the existence of 149 clans, only ten can be documented. Each descends from a different ancestor. The largest, that of P’ap’yŏng, descends from a man named Shin Tal. According to legend, an old woman named Yun On, who lived in P’ap’yŏng, saw a rainbow over a lotus pond in the mountains. When she went to investigate, she found a boy in a box. The boy had scales under his arm and seven dark birth marks on his body. She raised him as her own and gave him her name Yun.

The oldest Yun clan, that of Tamwŏn, descends from a man named Shi-yŏng who lived during the reign of the Shilla King Muyŏl (654–661). Compare Yoon 1 and Youn.

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 雲 from a word meaning ‘cloud’ in Chinese: (i) from Yun (鄖), the name of an ancient state (located in present-day Hubei province) which was annexed by the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). The name of the state was adopted as a surname, but a different character pronounced the same was chosen as the written form. (ii) from the Die Yun (牒雲), Xi Yun (悉雲), Shi Yun (是雲) and You Lian (宥連) families of the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China who acquired this surname during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iii) shortened form of Jin Yun (縉雲), said to be the name of an official post during the reign of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (iv) adopted as a Han Chinese surname by some minority ethnic groups (such as Mongolians).

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surnames 員 or 貟 (another written form of 員): (i) from Yun (鄖), the name of an ancient state which was annexed by the state of Chu (see 2 (i) above). (ii) from the personal name Yun (員), personal name of Wu Zixu (559–484 BC), a famous general in the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) adopted as a surname by Liu Ning, an official during the Song period (420 AD – 479 AD) in the Southern dynasties, who changed his original surname Liu (劉) to Yun (員) in memory of his idol Wu Zixu (559–484 BC).

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 惲: (i) adopted in place of another Chinese surname Yun (鄆) which was traced back to the name of a fief in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the second element of the personal name Xiong Yun (熊惲), style name of King Cheng of Chu (ruler of the state of Chu, died 626 BC). (iii) from the personal name Yun (惲), personal name of Yang Yun (楊惲, died 54 BC), known as Marquis of Pingtong during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD) who was killed by Emperor Xuan of Han (91–49 AD). After his death, his descendants adopted his personal name Yun (惲) as the new surname in order to escape from the feud.