Qi Family History

Chinese : a surname that originated during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc) from the name of the state of Qi, an area located in parts of present-day Shandong and Hebei provinces. Chinese : there are two sources of this name: the legendary emperor Huang Di (2697–2595 bc) gave one of his sons the name Qi, and there existed in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc) a fief named Qi. Chinese : in the state of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc) Sun Linfu, a high counselor, was granted the lordship of Qi. Sun Linfu became embroiled in power struggles within the state of Wei, however, and was defeated. His descendants fled to the state of Jin, where they adopted the name of their previous fiefdom, Qi, as their surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press