Ban (surname)


Ban is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized Pan in Wade–Giles. Ban is listed 235th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. It is not among the 300 most common surnames in China. In 2013 it was the 269th most common surname 273,000 shared by people, comprising 0.021% of the total population and the provincial level unit with the most people having the name being Guangxi.

Origin

The surname Ban originated from Mi 芈, the royal surname of the State of Chu of ancient China. Dou Gouwutu, a grandson of the Chu ruler Ruo'ao, was said to have been abandoned as an infant and nursed by a tigress. His given name Gouwutu, meant nursed by a tiger in the Chu language. Dou Gouwutu grew up to become a general and the Prime Minister of Chu. His descendants adopted Ban as their surname.

Notable people