Re: To Yoon Ngan: Hakka surname Lan

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

Hello Dixie,

Here is the history of surname LAN2.
I have a Hakka friend whose surname is also Lan (Nam).
His full name is Nam Fah San which means soft peanut in Cantonese.
Every one made fun of his name and he hated it so much that he
changed it to Shao Wen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Chinese surname No.131 Lan2.
Lan2 means : blue.
e.g. Lan2 Ben3 means : original script.
Surname Lan2 is about 2300 years old.

Abstract: Surname Lan2 was originated in an area which was called the 
          Ru3 Nan2 Prefecture during the Han4 Dynasty (206BC to 220AD).
          Ru3 means : you or thou
          Nan2 means : south
          The present day location of Ru3 Nan2 Prefecture 
          is in Ru3 Nan2 county in Henan province China.

  In 1106BC King Cheng2, the second King of the Zhou Dynasty (1134BC to
221BC), delegated authority to his younger brother called Tang2 Shu Yu2 to
be the ruler of a district which he named it as Tang2. Later King Cheng2
discovered that there was already in existence a State by that name of
Tang2 in Tang2 Zhou (present day Zheng4 Yang2 county in Henan province).
In ordered to avoid confusion King Cheng2 renamed it as the State of Jin4.
King Cheng2 also bestowed to his brother the title of Hou2 (Marsquis) 
which was inheritable.

  In 543BC the political and military power of the State of Jin4 was
under the control of the three most powerful families in the State:
the family of Zhoa4, the family of Han3 and the family of Wei4. Together
they plotted and carved up the State of Jin4 into three States: the State
of Zhao4 (present day Han Dan county in Hebei province), the State of
Wei4 (present day An Yi4 county in Shanxi province) and the State of Han3 
(present day Lin2 Fen2 county in Shanxi provunce). Their actions triggered
a situation which was later referred by historians as The Warring
States Period (453BC to 221BC). 

 In 369BC Wei4 Ying became the ruler of the State of Wei4 and in 356BC
he proclaimed himself the King of Wei4 and was known as Liang2 Hui4 Wang2.
He delegated the authority to one of his high officials, Qin2 Zi3, to
administer a town called Lan2 Tian2 (present day Lan2 Tian2 county in
Shaanxi province) in the State of Zhong4 Shan (in present day Hebei
province), a newly conquered region. The bestowed title of Qin2 Zi3 was
known as Lan2 Jun, Honorable Lord Lan2. The descendants of Qin2 Zi3
adopted LAN2 as their surname.


CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.   chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au
                                      
>Yoon Ngan,

>Have you made any entry on the origin  of the surname, Lan (literally,
>means blue in English)?
>I think this is the only Chinese surname where ALL the people are Hakkas.
>I would like to read about the origin of this surname.

- Dixie