Ben (surname)

Ben
The Bēn character in small seal script
Traditional Chinese	賁
Simplified Chinese	贲
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Bēn Wade–Giles Pên^1 IPA [pə́n] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Ban^1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Hûn Middle Chinese Middle Chinese /bʉi/

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]

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.