The 任 surname

Ren (任) is a Chinese surname, ranked 58th in the Hundred Family Surnames (《百家姓》); its ancestral commanderies include Le'an (乐安) and others.^[1]

Origin of the surname[edit]

According to the "Discourses of Jin, Part Four" in the Discourses of the States (《国语·晋语四》), fourteen sons of the Yellow Emperor received twelve surnames, Ren among them, and the Xie, Zhang, Xue, Shu, Lü, Zhu and other surnames of the Zhou period all branched off from the Ren. The "Treatise on Clans" in the Comprehensive Records (《通志·氏族略》) says further that Ren was a state of the Feng (风) surname, descended from Taihao (太昊), whose old territory lay around present-day Jining, Shandong; when the state fell in the Warring States period, its people took the state's name as their surname. There are also other origins, such as people of other surnames, and of ethnic minorities, changing their surname to Ren. Before the Han, the Ren were active in Henan, Hubei and Sichuan; by the Song, some had already moved into Fujian and Guangdong.^[1]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

How the Ren came to Taishan and where they live is yet to be added. Family members who know more are welcome to edit this article.