Min Family History

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 閔 meaning ‘bad luck pity or sorrow’ in ancient Chinese: from Min (閔) the posthumous title of the Duke Min of Lu the 17th ruler of the state of Lu (located in present-day Shandong province). After only two years on the throne (661–660 BC) he was murdered. His successor gave him the posthumous title 閔 (Min) which became established as a surname for his descendants. Chinese: variant Romanization of the Chinese surname 文 see Wen Korean: there is only one Chinese character used for the Min surname. There is a legend that the Min clan's founding ancestor Ch’ing-do was a descendant of Ch’a kŏn one of the ten disciples of Confucius. Ch’ing-do an emissary from China to the Koryŏ kingdom decided to stay and settled in the Yŏhŭng area. The surname Min can be found throughout Korea but it is particularly concentrated in Chŏlla and Kyŏngsang provinces. Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name from min ‘king ruler’ a term also denoting a high government official. Compare Minn — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Dutch and Flemish (also De Min): nickname from Middle Dutch minne ‘beloved sweetheart’. Dutch: from a shortened form of the personal name Dominicus (see Dominick ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022