InHong Kong, the surname isromanised asKwan in Cantonese. InTaiwan, theWade–Giles spellingKuan is used. InMacao, the surname is asKuan due to thePortuguese influence. In addition the surnameCuan is also used in Mexico.
In manyoverseas Chinese communities, both spellings, Kuan[1] and Kwan, as well as Quan, are common.
It is also a Vietnamese surname that uses the same character, romanised asQuan.
It is also a Japanese surname, Seki (Japanese:関), that uses the same character.
The Vietnamese surname, Quan and the Japanese surname, Seki, was derived from the same Chinese character as the Chinese surname (The JapaneseKanji 関 is aShinjitai of the Chinese character 關).
A number of groups in different geographic areas are believed to have shared the surname in history.
Guan(关 or 關) - meaning is City Gate, or Close the City Gate - originally name for an official, then became a surname.
During the 23rd century BCE, Dongfu (董父) was a descendant of the ruler Shuan (叔安) inChifeng within the oldRehe Province of theKhitan state. Dongfu married a daughter ofEmperor Yao's tribe, using the surname Dong (董), which later became the surname Kwan (關).
In 643 BCE, during theZhou dynasty, nearMount Xiao within the nation ofJin, the Ji (姬) family used the surname of Dongguan (東關) with region nameDongguan (東關). In China it is common for clans possessing the same surname to live in avillage together, with their surname designating the name of the village. Later, the Dongguan (東關) family branched into two surnames:Dǒng (東), and Guan (關). Dongguan Wu (東關五) was an officer ofJin.
In 604 BCE, during the Zhou dynasty, an officer namedYin Xi (尹喜) is reported to have taken the name Guan Yin (關尹) as his name in public office, designating 關 as his surname. Subsequent generations continued to use 關 as their surname.
The surname 關 has also been widely adopted by various non-Chinese ethnic groups from both southern and northern China, such as theZhuang,De'ang,Mongolian andManchurian peoples.
Around 1080 CE, the surname 關 arrives in the province ofGuangdong atXinhui, five generations later atKaiping (Hoiping) in Guangdong province.[1]
Near the end of the 19th century (1880s), population pressure on the limited arable land in Kaiping county, mainly along the Tan river, induces the rural poor 關 to emigrate overseas, largely (~70%) to North America and rest to Southeast Asia.[1]
^abcWoon, Yuen-fong (1984).Social organization in South China, 1911-1949: the case of the Kuan lineage in K'ai-p'ing county. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan.ISBN0-89264-051-0.
This page lists people with thesurnameGuān (关 / 關). If aninternal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change thatlink by adding the person'sgiven name(s) to the link.
