The China Surnames Dictionary contains as many as 1 1969 surnames, including 53 single-character surnames and 43 double-character surnames. Three-character surname 16 15, four-character surname 57 1, six-character surname 22, seven-character surname 7, eight-character surname 3 and nine-character surname 1. As surnames themselves are still developing and changing, experts estimate that there are about18,000 surnames in China.
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Hundreds of Surnames is an article about China's surname. According to documents, it was written in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty. There were 4 1 1 surnames, which increased to 568, including 444 single surnames and 24 compound surnames. "Hundred Surnames" uses four fonts to arrange surnames, and the sentences rhyme. Although its content is not artistic, it has played a great role in the inheritance of China surname culture and the understanding of China characters, which is also an important factor for its spread for thousands of years.
Hundreds of surnames, together with San and Qian, are also called "three thousand", which is an enlightenment book for children in ancient China. "Qiansun" became the top four surnames among hundreds of surnames because hundreds of surnames were formed in wuyue area of Song Dynasty, so Zhao, Qian of Wu Yueguo, Qian Shuzheng of Wu Yueguo and Li of Southern Tang Dynasty became the top four surnames.
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia-Hundred Family Names