Xie (surname)


Xie is a Chinese-language surname. The same surname is usually romanized as Hsieh in Taiwan. It is estimated that there are more than ten million people around the world, mostly of Chinese descent, with this surname, most of whom live in Taiwan, Southern China, South East Asia, and North America. It is particularly common in Taiwan where it is the 13th most common surname in 2016.
It is also very common in the East Asian diaspora which historically tended to have disproportionately emigrated out of southern China. A 2013 study found that Xie was the 23rd most common surname in China, with 0.79% of the population having this surname. In 2019 it was again the 23rd most common surname in mainland China. Most Xie are from southern China. It is the 34th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
The surname originated in two major branches: during the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, and near the end of the Western Zhou dynasty. It was a prominent aristocratic clan in the Eastern Jin dynasty of China. The hometown of the Xie is Kaifeng, Henan Province.

Variations

The spelling of the same Chinese character using Wade–Giles romanization is Hsieh. The spelling "Hsieh" is most commonly used in Taiwan and in older romanizations, particularly by older generations of the Chinese and Taiwanese diaspora, for instance in the United States. "Hsieh" has been often phonologically adapted to "Shay" in English-speaking society, for instance in the United States, as a result of anglicisation. Other variations are pronounced "Sh'eh" and the spelling is sometimes modified to Shieh.
The Cantonese spelling of the same Chinese character is Tse or Tze and the Taishanese spelling of the same Chinese character is Dea, Der, Dare, or Dear. The Teochew and Hokkien spelling of the same Chinese character are Chia, Shia, Cheah, or Sia.
In Malaysia and Singapore, the name is most commonly Chia, although Cheah, Seah, Sia, Shia, Cha, Tse, Chay, etc. can also be found. During the Chinese diaspora, the region was administered by British Empire clerks, who knew little about Chinese dialects, often had to find their own romanizations. As a result, the variations are non-exhaustive.
In the Philippines, the name is also spelled as Sese, which is also a variation in the rest of the ASEAN region, Taiwan, and South Korea. In Indonesia, the name is also spelt as Tjhia or Tjia. In East Timor, as a legacy of Portuguese colonialism and lingua franca, Xie is also produced as Tchia, Tchea, Tsia, Tcha, and Tjea. The Vietnamese version is Tạ.
In the United States, the name is sometimes spelled as Jair and Zia. Other variations of the surname include Shea and Shei.

Variation table

Origins and history

During the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, the Xie were believed to be the descendants of Yuyang, son of the Yellow Emperor. Yuyang's descendants founded ten states successively, the State of Xie first, and its occupants becoming the first Xie.
For the purpose of reciprocating his mother's upbringing, King Xuan of Zhou of the Western Zhou dynasty granted the former State of Xie, in modern Nanyang, Henan province, to his maternal uncle Shen Boxi, the Marquess of Shen, whose line claimed descent from the semi-mythological character Bo Yi. The people of Xie later adopted the name of the state as their surname.
In the Eastern Jin dynasty, the Xie were among the cluster of noble clans who fled to the south in the wake of the fall of Chang'an, dominating the court thereafter. The legend has it that it derived from Yellow Emperor Tribe: almost vanished in “Xia, Shang, Zhou” dynasty.
The legend has it that it derived from Ren Clan in Xie State, descendant of Yellow Emperor, It takes the State name as Clan. Its land was manor of Shen Bo until the Zhou dynasty got perished, the descendant of Shen Bo took the State name as Clan.
Derived from Yan Emperor Tribe: the Ancestor Shen Bo is generally acknowledged by contemporary Xie Clan.
Derived from Jiang Clan, came from the inherited manor Xie for the descendant of Yan Emperor and Shen Bo, it takes the State name as Clan. The royal descendant of State Shen who takes the place name as Clan, called Xie Clan, its so-called Henan Xie Clan, known as Xie Clan Orthodox in history. Most of the contemporary Xie Clan people respects Shen Bo as the first ancestor.
Changed into Zhile Clan.
The litterateur Xie Yan in the late Sui dynasty and early Tang dynasty, changed Xie into Zhi Le, his grandfather Xiao Zheng was emperor's regular attendant of horse riding, restored to Xie after the Sui dynasty.
The compound surname of Xieqiu, derived from Ji Clan, came from the manor Xie Shui which was granted by King Xuan for his concubine, it takes the densely populated place as the Clan. In the Western Zhou dynasty, the King Xuan of Ji Jing once granted his concubine with Xie Shui waterfront in the South-West of Luoyang. After the King Ping of Ji Yijiu transferred to Luoyang, these clan people also moved to Gongqiu. In memory of the old house, the concubine's son for King Xuan also call the newly granted Gongqiu as Xie Qiu, after that, some Clan people take the densely populated place Xie Qiu as Clan, called Xie Qiu Clan, there was Xie Qiu Zhang at Lu State in the Spring and Autumn period.

Famous people with the surname Xie

Xie clan of Chen commandery