Ben (surname)

Ben (trad. 賁, simp. 贲) is a Chinese surname meaning "bright, energetic".[1][2] 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.[3] It is the 179th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.[4]

Ben
The Bēn character in small seal script
Traditional Chinese賁
Simplified Chinese贲

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[5]

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
  1. 汉英词典. 外语教学与研究出版社. December 29, 1995. ISBN 9787560007397 – via Google Books.
  2. "My China Roots". www.mychinaroots.com.
  3. Yuan Yida (袁义达), Qiu Jiaru, 邱家儒. 中国四百大姓. Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013
  4. K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1285-9.
  5. "Ben Name Meaning & Ben Family History at Ancestry.com®". www.ancestry.com.
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