The 岑 surname

Cen (岑) has a genealogy handed down in Taishan (formerly called Xinning, 新宁): genealogy catalogs list a Genealogy of the Cen of Xinning (《新宁岑氏家谱》) in two volumes, printed in the 9th year of Guangxu of the Qing (1883), which honors Cen Yaojun (岑尧俊) of the Song dynasty as the first migrant ancestor in Guangdong.^[1] When this branch came to Xinning and where it settled have not yet been established from the sources available.

Origin of the surname[edit]

The Cen surname comes from the Ji (姬) surname. According to the "Treatise on Clans" in the Comprehensive Records (《通志·氏族略》), King Wen of Zhou enfeoffed Qu (渠), son of his half-brother Yao (耀), as a viscount, with his fief at Cen (岑); he was called the Viscount of Cen, and later generations took Cen as their surname, later growing into a prominent clan in Nanyang Commandery (南阳郡). The Cen surname is also found among the Zhuang of Guangxi and elsewhere, mostly in families of hereditary native chieftains through the dynasties.^[2]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

According to the entry for the Genealogy of the Cen of Xinning on the Wangzu Jiapu website (望族家谱网), the genealogy was compiled by Cen Zanxun (岑赞勋) in 1883, and its place of record is Taishan; it honors Cen Peng (岑彭) of the Eastern Han as its founding ancestor and Cen Yaojun of the Song (taboo name Yiyou 一猷, courtesy name Zhengshu 正叔, art name Xianjia 献嘉) as the first migrant ancestor in Guangdong, and records that he "left office and moved from the Central Plains (中州) to Xinhui Commandery (新会郡)".^[1] The 23mofang website (23魔方), quoting the same genealogy, says further that Cen Yaojun came into Guangdong from the Central Plains in the course of his official career in the Xianchun period of the Southern Song (1265–1274), had four sons, Yanyong, Yanyuan, Yanfu and Yangui (严永、严远、严富、严贵), and that his descendants are spread over Shixing (始兴), Jiujiang (九江), Guizhou (桂洲), Shadi (沙堤), Enping (恩平), Yangjiang (阳江) and other places.^[3]

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