Forms
of Surnames

The method of devising a clan's surname by adding the character "Nu(woman)" to the object was common. In a matriarchal society where children knew only their mothers, it was natural to add a nu radical to the mascot of the clan to turn it into a surname. This Matriarchal influence is further enhanced by Chinese Mythologies such as "Nu Wa Bu Tian".Here are some Chinese words with the woman radical in them.

Hao(good), Shi(beginning), Ru(if), An(safe), Niang(mother)

Before the Qin dynasty, Xing was the name of the clan; and shi is the name of the branch of the clan. Shi is derived from different origins such as the place where they live, names of certain kings, nobles or high officials. When a branch of the clan had grown in size and subdivided into smaller branches, the secondary surname became the surname of such branches. Surname became less complicated as people began calling themselves either by their surname or by their secondary surname.