| Ben | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The Bēn character in small seal script | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 賁 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 贲 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben (trad. 賁, simp. 贲) is a Chinese surname meaning "bright, energetic". It is romanized Pên in Wade–Giles, or Ban in Cantonese romanization. According to a 2013 study, it was not one of the top 400 surnames in modern China. It is the 179th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
Origins
Several origins are claimed for the surname:
- from Xian Ben Fu (縣賁父) a carriage driver during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Lu (706–662 BC)
- from Hu Ben (虎賁), an official post in charge of guarding the king or the royal palace
- from the Ben Hun (賁渾), a minority ethnic group in ancient western China
Notable people
- Fan Ben (died 349), Chinese politician and emperor
- Sun Ben (fl. 190s–200s), Chinese general
- Wang Ben (fl. 220s BCE), Chinese general
References
- 汉英词典. 外语教学与研究出版社. December 29, 1995. ISBN 9787560007397 – via Google Books.
- "My China Roots". www.mychinaroots.com.
- Yuan Yida (袁义达), Qiu Jiaru, 邱家儒. 中国四百大姓. Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013
- K. S. Tom. (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1285-9.
- "Ben Name Meaning & Ben Family History at Ancestry.com®". www.ancestry.com.
Surname listThis page lists people with the surname Ben. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. Categories: